Visitors to Lake Tahoe leave a record four tons of trash during Fourth of July celebrations

Over the course of just three hours on the morning of July 5, 402 volunteers cleaned up 8,559 pounds of litter left from Fourth of July celebrations at Lake Tahoe. Partygoers who crowded Lake Tahoe beaches over the Fourth of July left more than four tons of trash on the shore and in the water, according to cleanup volunteers. Daniel Cressy, a public services staff officer for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, estimated that more than 4,000 people visited Zephyr Shoals at the peak of the celebrations. “It looked like your most crowded music festival.” This year marked the nonprofit’s 10th annual “Keep Tahoe Red, White & Blue” July 5 cleanup event. According to the League to Save Lake Tahoe, several beach sites — including those with permanent restrooms, trash cans and management staff — were relatively free of litter.