It’s amazing how quickly trash can accumulate, even on the beach.

Last Friday, volunteers from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island came out to do a little cleaning in honor of Earth Day. NAS Whidbey Recycle has been sponsoring the beach cleanup for 16 years to call attention to how much trash can really be recycled.

“Every year this event has been a great success in cleaning up the beaches that NAS shares,” said Paul Brewer, Internal Solid Waste Manager for the base recycling center. “It really gets everyone involved in doing something positive for the environment.”

Brewer estimates there are between 200 and 300 volunteers each year.

Several tenant commands participate, including the Center for Naval AviationTechnical Training Unit, which is the largest sponsor of volunteers for the cleanup.

“I’m glad I was able to volunteer and help out today in cleaning the beach. I never knew how much trash would be down here for us to collect,” said Aviation Electrician Airman Ethan Barron, from CNATTU.

There is usually no shortage of recyclable material found on the beach, and this year was no exception.

“In getting trash off the beach, especially a huge tire we found near the water, it really felt good to clean up the area for the environment,” said Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Joshua Whidden, also from CNATTU.

In addition to the beach cleanup, NAS Whidbey Recycle sponsored an environmental fair, where, among other things, people could guess the weight of cubes of aluminum cans.

-Bryan Ilyankoff contributed to this story.