Collection Report Sept 29, 2010

Wednesday, September 29 at Bay View beach, Saco. A late start, and a sunny but cool mid-morning.

Never tire of this view

The last memories of August and early September storms were eroding away.

Sand cliff, a last ghost of a former storm

Leaving behind, as always, more than first meets the eye. Here is Zone N:

167 finds:

• Building material: 1
• Foam/styrofoam: 16
• Fishing misc.: 3 (2 bits of rope, flare shell)
• Food-related plastics: 24 (inc. sandwich baggie, ketchup packet, 5 bottle caps, faded bit of "Nik-L-Nip" wrapper)
• Food-related metal/glass: 12
• Non-food/unknown plastics: 31 (inc. shotgun shell plug (?), OTC medicine seal, "remove plastic" scrap, scrap of faded orange sphere, latex glove, balloon tip, bandaid)
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 69 (57 local drops + 11 likely floaters + 1 plastic)
• Paper/wood: 9
• Misc./unique: 2 (thin rope, Bic lighter)

Not a lot to get excited about, perhaps.

Millinery union label

Always colorful scraps

Really don't want to know

Zone S is still, predictably, bringing in less stuff. Though with fewer beachgoers bringing less food to Zone N, the ratios are starting to look much closer between both zones now.

58 finds:

• Building material: 2 (fence slats)
• Foam/styrofoam: 11
• Fishing misc.: 1 (claw band)
• Food-related plastics: 7
• Food-related metal/glass: 1 (bit of sea glass)
• Non-food/unknown plastics: 8
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 20 (17 locals + 3 floaters)
• Paper/wood: 6
• Misc./unique: 2 (bit of string and scrap of antenna wire)

At most, this week is a reminder that the end of tourist season doesn't mean the end of a fouled beach. Even if the numbers are off their peak.

For those not terribly moved by what washed up for this collection, wait til I post October 6th's. You might not going to believe your eyes.