Del Mar breaks out new green baskets for a first-of-its-kind initiative

DEL MAR, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — If you've been Del Mar in the last few days, you may have spotted a stack of green shopping baskets right next to the shoreline and wondered what they were.

The baskets are part of a pilot to a new initiative, called the Del Mar ShoreSaver Program, aimed at fostering beach stewardship by giving beachgoers the ability to participate in voluntary trash clean-ups during their visit. It is considered the first program of its kind on the West Coast.

The sustainability program was officially launched last Wednesday by Del Mar officials and environmental groups with the placement of the first group of baskets at the 17th Street lifeguard station.

Additional stations with the reusable baskets are anticipated to be placed along the shoreline in the future after this pilot period.

Participating in Del Mar's ShoreSaver program is simple: Beachgoers can grab a basket from the lifeguard tower before hitting the sand to collect any trash or other litter. Once it's full, or whenever one feels like stopping, beachgoers can dump the basket and return it to its station.

"Be a part of the change. Make the difference. Make your beach walk something that gives back," Jennifer Grove with the Del Mar Village Association told FOX 5/KUSI last week. "We all have an obligation to keep our ocean beaches clean."

The ShoreSaver program comes out of a partnership between the city of Del Mar, Relic Coastal Collaborative and EDCO, according to officials.

Relic Coastal Collaborative helped create a similar litter clean-up program on the East Coast in New York. According to the company, more than 80 basket stations have been placed along the Long Island shoreline for trash management.