Smoke clears on 4/20, exposing big piles of garbage

They came, they smoked, they left behind garbage ... lotsof garbage.

That's what a city crew was left to deal with after yesterday's 4/20 rally, which saw roughly 25,000marijuana advocates take over Sunset Beach for the annual pot protest and festivities.

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"We're never sure what we're going to face first thing in the morning, so we have 10 people here sweeping through the beach and park," said Howard Normann director of parks operations for the City of Vancouver.

"We have to watch for all kinds of things for safety."

Park Board chair Sarah Kirby-Yung estimates the cost of the cleanup will surpass last year's bill of $93,000.

At first light the crew was concentrating onthe swath of park and beach that runs from the Burrard Street Bridge to the Inukshuk at English Bay, forming giant piles of garbage as they went.

Normann estimatesthe mess to be comparable to what is normally left behind after a night of fireworks.

"Our sanitation iscoming down this morning with their big trucks and we'll load it all up and hopefully have it cleaned up before lunch," he said.

With files from GP Mendoza and Farrah Merali