Footage highlights strange finds after analyzing 8,000 pieces of Yosemite litter: 'Oh no'

Cleaning up litter in parks you visit is a helpful way to re-beautify our natural areas and protect delicate ecosystems burdened by harmful trash.

When you keep your eyes on the ground for items that don't belong in nature, you might be surprised at what you find has been left behind by careless tourists.

@5gyres We analyzed 8,000+ pieces of trash collected at Yosemite Facelift. While the common items were things like plastic food wrapper fragments, wipes, and cigarette butts — we also came across some strange finds 👀 Learn more about our work to keep our national parks plastic-free at 5gyres.org/plasticfreeparks, and stay tuned for our 2024 #PlasticFreeParks ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

A TikTok video from 5 Gyres (@5gyres) shows some of the miscellaneous items people throw onto the ground at Yosemite National Park. 5 Gyres is a nonprofit organization committed to helping our planet become free of plastic pollution.

The 5 Gyres team analyzed over 8,000 pieces of trash at Yosemite Facelift. There were many everyday items that you might expect, such as plastic food wrappers and cigarette butts.

However, they shared in the caption, "We also came across some strange finds."

These finds included a whole coconut, a drone, a mouthguard, a Hello Kitty phone case, shoes, socks, a baseball, a phone, and a chair. Their video demonstrates just how far litterers are willing to go with their senseless trash disposal in our national parks.

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Many pieces of trash the group collected could be mistaken for food by wildlife or release harmful chemicals into the soil.

Fortunately, cleanup efforts like the one in this video are helping promote a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship in our communities. Around the world, people are coming together to clean up our beaches and get litter out of our cities to promote a cleaner environment and pure enjoyment of our beautiful planet.

If you are interested in joining a group cleanup project to remove litter from a place you love, you can start in your very own neighborhood. Local parks and open spaces often need extra attention when they become popular with visitors who don't understand or respect nature.