Zalul’s National Project Director, Sagit Rogenstein, was taking an afternoon stroll along Tel Aviv’s tayelet (promenade) on a rather stormy day when she couldn’t help but photograph some of the incredible (and disgusting) beach pollution littering the sand.

Winter means that the beaches are almost abandoned. Surfers still visit to catch waves, but long gone are the swimsuited tourists lounging their rented chairs, working on their tans and the lifeguards go on vacation.

Rain falling in the city washes a year’s worth of mucky car pollution build-up from the street to the sea. Some (definitely not all) areas of Tel Aviv have sewer systems that can accommodate the flash flood rains… they go directly to the sea.

Our reaction to these pictures when Sagit brought them to the office? “Ewwww.”

View more by visiting Zalul’s flickr photostream.