We're Back! The 37th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is set for Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 9am-Noon, at beaches and waterways throughout the state. Help us remove the trash and plastic pollution that has been accumulating since we were last able to run organized cleanup events. In 2019, more than 74,000 volunteers picked up more than 900,000 pounds of trash from beaches and waterways throughout California.
Volunteers are also invited to participate throughout the month by cleaning up their neighborhoods, parks, and other local areas. Trash from inland areas flows downstream to the coast, so cleaning up neighborhood trash helps prevent marine debris. Gather cleanup supplies from home, download the CleanSwell app (to count your trash, and to have your trash counted!), and clean on your own time throughout September. More than 14,000 Californians participated in a neighborhood cleanup during September 2020, preventing over 150,000 pounds of trash from entering our stormwater systems and potentially polluting our coast and ocean.
Below is info from 2020. Check back as we get closer to September to find your Cleanup Day site, and participate as often as you can during the month!
Reporting thorough and accurate data helps create long-term solutions to pollution. Please use the app if possible, or download a paper data card.
This year, California cleans the coast by cleaning up our neighborhoods.
California Coastal Cleanup is typically the third Saturday of September. This year, we are adapting to current circumstances to honor the spirit of the cleanup while maintaining strict safety precautions. So on every Saturday of this September, from 9 AM to Noon, grab your bag and gloves and help clean the coast by keeping trash out of storm drains, creeks, and rivers, all of which eventually lead to the ocean. The cleanup helps bring awareness to the marine litter problem and provides a community event for direct involvement. Help us by joining in the fight to preserve wildlife by taking trash out of the environment. Volunteer alongside your families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, and service clubs. If you're not sure how to get started please let us know. Plan to spend a day outside connecting with your community to celebrate California!
The event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy. California Coastal Cleanup Day is the largest volunteer event in the US and International Coastal Cleanup Day is the largest volunteer event on the planet!
