Garbage in the Wetlands
How does it get there? And more importantly, how does it get out?
Where does it come from?
If you have visited Bolsa Chica over the past year you may have seen a lot of garbage along the wetlands’ edges. Garbage comes into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve from several different directions, The largest contributor is the Wintersburg flood control channel, which stretches from Anaheim through north Orange County, picking up trash and debris all along the way, to the Reserve and into Outer Bolsa Bay. Once there, the garbage brought by the Wintersburg channel can get trapped in the vegetation along the wetlands’ edges, or in the mud farther into the wetlands, polluting the nesting habitats of many species of birds including the endangered Belding Savanna Sparrow. The more rain the region has, the more water and garbage flow down the channel to Bolsa Chica.
Garbage also comes in with the tides from Huntington Harbour to the north, and from PCH and Bolsa Chica State Beach to the west – whether it be thrown from a car or carried on the ocean breeze from the public beach area. Garbage can also enter the Bolsa Chica from the beaches and ocean through the tidal inlet at the southern corner of the Reserve.
What is it?
The predominant type of garbage that enters Bolsa Chica, not surprisingly, is plastic in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Light plastics will float down the Wintersburg channel, easily pushed by the current, and will get caught in the plants, rocks, and sand along the shorelines. There the sun and saltwater will break it apart into miniscule pieces. According to the global non-profit Oceana, “An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic pollution enter the oceans every year. That’s roughly equivalent to dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the oceans every minute.” Plastic toothpicks, bottle caps, food containers and wrappers, and all sorts of other plastic debris that does not get disposed of properly can end up in the flood control channel, on the beaches, and eventually at Bolsa Chica.
How do we get it out?
Whereas the waters and wind bring garbage into the Reserve, getting it out takes people power. Many of the bird species at Bolsa Chica nest in the areas closest to the water, which are the same areas that accumulate garbage. Thus, to not frighten the birds, damage nests, or trample active foraging areas, no one is permitted to remove the garbage during the spring nesting season, which is roughly April 1 through September 1, with the only exception being an emergency situation and under the direct supervision of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Outside of nesting season, from September through March, the Stewards restoration team hosts workdays specifically to remove garbage from the wetlands’ edge at the base of the Mesa. Led by Beverley Hansen and the Stewards’ core team, hundreds of pounds of garbage is removed every year, but there are still challenges. High tides and rain will cancel clean-ups, and this same time of year is also prime planting season. The team works on Nest Site 2 at this time of year as well – a critical nesting island for multiple species – preparing it for the coming migration. So, there is a lot to do in a short amount of time.
Sign up from the button below to help get this garbage out of Bolsa Chica. Your donations to the Land Trust help fund our staff and the materials we use for this effort and are needed so that we can do more. *Please note, due to the sensitivity of the habitats, individuals are prohibited from going off trail, even to pick up garbage, unless you are volunteering during a supervised workday.
photos: Beverley Hansen 2025
