The overwhelming plastic waste Hawaii visitors leave behind – SFGATE

"Liquid Avalanche" Sandy Beach in Oahu, Hawaii (by Floyd Manzano CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

Plastics like in-room toiletries provided by resorts, plus to-go containers and cutlery provided by restaurants, are used and discarded by guests day after day. A single hotel chain can use hundreds of millions of little bottles of shampoo and conditioner every year.

When visitors leave, a lot of these items end up in the trash, yet Hawaii doesn’t have the infrastructure to recycle the immense amount of plastic left behind…

Luxury California resort accused of restricting public beach access – SFGATE

San Diego - Paradise Point Resort, Mission Bay (by K M CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

A California Coastal Commission report reviewed by SFGATE accuses Paradise Point Resort of numerous violations that “impede public use of the area and reinforce the impression that the entire area was private…” Alleged violations included the failure to put up a single “public access” sign, blocking public pathways to the beach, and the installation of a kiosk and security guard at the primary parking entrance. Another allegation states that the resort built or placed uncovered dumpsters and an event tent on public pathways and parking spots.

Private yacht runs aground, leaks fuel over Hawaii marine sanctuary – SF Gate

Honolua Bay (by Kirt Edblom CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr).

A 94-foot luxury yacht grounded near a marine sanctuary in Hawaii on Monday, leaking fuel into the ocean, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said…
“I am devastated that it happened,” Maui resident Kaila Tiri told SFGATE. “[Honolua Bay] was a marine sanctuary that was protected for over a decade and a spot on Maui that everyone loved and adored deeply…”

Before-and-after photos show damage to Capitola after California storm – SF GATE

Storm damage in Capitola Village © 2023 Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel

One of California’s prettiest little beach towns is in for a long recovery after brutal surf and whipping winds tore apart its picturesque village.

Capitola was hit hard last week by what meteorologists called a “bomb cyclone” storm. Waves were so intense that its historic wharf broke in half, and Capitola’s photogenic downtown was flooded with debris. Along with water damage, businesses and homes must contend with all manner of flotsam and jetsam that now litter the waterfront…