VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Photos and videos showing the aftermath of a popular Memorial Day weekend celebration in Virginia Beach are sparking outrage on social media.
According to WAVY-TV, revelers at the annual Floatopia event on Chic's Beach left behind a massive amount of garbage – about 10 tons' worth, officials said.
Facebook user Melissa Noel posted a video from the scene that quickly went viral, with more than 1 million views and 13,000 shares by Tuesday morning.
"Stay classy, Virginia Beach," a woman can be heard saying over footage of cups, wrappers and other trash strewn along the shore.
Posted by Melissa Noel on Monday, May 27, 2019
On Monday morning, City Councilman Michael Berlucchi said he was "disappointed" by the images.
"We can do better than this!" he wrote. "Let's work together to keep our City beautiful and clean."
I was disappointed to wake up this morning to see images of trash all over our beautiful Chesapeake Bay beach after...
Posted by Councilman Michael Berlucchi on Monday, May 27, 2019
The Virginia Beach Public Works Department and volunteers cleaned up the trash Monday, WAVY reported.
"They tackled a huge job nobody thought we'd get done in four, five hours, and they knocked it out in about 2 1/2," Public Works spokesman Drew Lankford told the TV station.
Cox Media Group
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