Beltzville State Park (3-Feb-2016)

On this foggy and rain filled day I headed back to Beltzville State Park. I knew the parking areas would be clear by this point and I thought that the shorelines might be snow free in certain areas. 

The first stop was along the main inlet where Bauer Creek flows into the lake. Last year I cleaned up several sections in this area, the one today was new. As I had hoped the shoreline was clear of snow and other than the rain the conditions were perfect for taking out the trash. 

Right away I started finding the regular items. Does anyone know if the juice containers on the left are recyclable in PA? I find them a lot and they always go in with the non-recyclables.

I think at one time this was a Santa ornament. It was the oddest find of the day. Wonder how long it has been on the lakeside.

One piece of trash I was happy to find in the winter. This would have been unpleasant to pick up when it was full of Vespid Wasps. 

How many of these are still out there? Found two on this hike. One of which was tucked behind some overhanging brush in the lake.

Where do items like this come from. I was not on a main trail, it is not the easiest to get to this spot and all of these items were to high on the bank to be wash up from the lake. It just doesn't make sense. 

Penny was along and her look here told me she had had enough of the rain and that she was not going to help me take any of this trash back to the car. 

My pack couldn't hold another item by the time I made it back to the car and I was carrying the large foam blocks. Penny warmed up in the car while I sorted out the items into this pile and separated the recyclables from non before packing them into the car. 

On the way back to deposit the non-recyclables at one of the parks trash cans, I stopped at a small pull-off. Last year I cleaned up this same area and it truly was disheartening to see all of this trash. Not everything here was new, I did leave all of the glass items last year. 

I left Penny in the car to dry out some more and I got to cleaning up. The rain just kept coming down and I was starting to get soaked and cold. 

This is what I took out of that second stop today. I didn't get everything and I will do a more thorough job very soon. This did put a dent in what was there though. I loaded everything up and got back in the warm car to go deposit the non-recyclables. 

After dropping off the trash and warming up a little I took Penny over to the main parking area for a short walk. The rain had finally let up and we were able to get in a short walk for her without much trash collecting. 

I normally won't pick up other peoples dog waste bags, I did today though. I am really getting tired of seeing these. The whole point of picking up the waste in a bag it to deposit it into the trash. So many people don't seem to understand that. I don't know what the thought is here. Wrapping the waste in plastic then throwing it back on the ground is worse than just leaving it there in the first place.

The last items of the day. Where do you get Bubba Cola from? Pretty sure this was the first time I ever found a can of that. The snow is melted enough now that I think I will be back out on a regular basis. 
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash