Snack trash turns up on the beach in state park

Lewes residents took to social media Jan. 16 as a tide of trash washed ashore at Cape Henlopen State Park. 

As high tide rolled in, so did the trash. Plastic snack wrappers and candy wrappers accounted for most of the refuse, which spurred residents who heard about it to head to the beach to clean up the mess. But as the tide rose again during the late afternoon, the trash was swept up in the water, ending cleanup efforts.

Cape Henlopen State Park Superintendent Grant Melville inspected the beach the morning of Jan. 17, but most of the trash had disappeared by the 11 a.m. low tide. He said he wasn’t sure if the tide or people had taken care of the mess.

“It’s nice to see people rally and help clean the beach,” he said.

Melville said he did not know where the trash originated. Some of the wrappers were from products made in New York.

“It’s tricky to pinpoint where all this came from,” he said.