This year California Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday, September 21, 2024, so get ready for the chance to get out there and do you part in cleaning up LA’s rivers, creeks, lakes and beaches before the first rain of the season – typically called the first flush – washes trash and pollutants into our local waterways.
There will be cleanups taking place along bays, creeks, rivers, and the coast at hundreds of locations throughout California on Saturday, September 21.
All you need to know can be found at the California Coastal Commission’s website. Locally, Heal the Bay will once again coordinate cleanups. Simply bring reusable cleanup supplies from home, like a bucket and gardening gloves as well as your signed liability waiver, and you’re ready to go!
A day of powerful community action for California, California Coastal Cleanup Day has some impressive (and mind-numbing) data points. Over the past 40 years of its history, here the top five items that volunteers have picked up:
- 8,403,338 cigarette butts/filters
- 2,592,161 food wrappers/containers
- 2,207,929 caps/lids
- 1,723,026 paper and plastic bags
- 1,268,781 cups/plates, forks, knives and spoons
Coastal Cleanup Day is about much more than picking up trash. It’s a chance for Angelenos to join people around our beautiful state in expressing their respect for our creeks, rivers, bays, lakes and beaches. It’s an opportunity for community members to demonstrate their desire for clean water and healthy marine life. And it’s a moment to share with one’s neighbors, family, and friends, coming together to accomplish something vital and worthy on behalf of our environment.
Each of us is bigger than we think and we can all have a powerful and positive impact on keeping our golden state sparkling.
