(CNN) Partygoers attending a "Floatopia" event spent the day drinking and bobbing in the Virginia Beach surf. And then they left behind tons of trash.

"Leave nothing but footprints," is akin to the Golden Rule for nature. The attendees of Sunday's event at Chic's Beach failed miserably at following it.

Nearby residents awoke on Memorial Day with the trash from the previous day's event covering the beach: floats, collapsible canopies, boogie boards, bottles and more.

On a normal weekend, public works employees collect about a ton of trash from the area. This weekend, they collected 10 tons -- 20,000 pounds.

Virginia Beach spokesperson Drew Lankford told CNN the event was not city-sponsored or sanctioned. The event began with a Facebook invite and spread through word of mouth.

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