42nd annual California Coastal Cleanup Day critical ahead of likely El Niño storms

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 25 — California Coastal Cleanup Day returns this September for its 42nd year. The state’s largest volunteer event is expected to draw more than 50,000 people at hundreds of locations across the state. Volunteers will be especially important this year as a potentially historic El Niño takes aim at the state. The increased rainfall expected from El Niño can wash plastic pollution from creeks and streams into the ocean. Coastal Cleanup Day provides an opportunity to prevent even greater harm to the coast and the wildlife that calls it home.

The California Coastal Commission organizes the annual cleanup, which traditionally takes place on the third Saturday of each September. The cleanup, which also includes inland waterways as well as the coast, has grown to encompass all 58 California counties, reminding Californians that everyone is connected to the coast no matter where they may live in the state. This connection is important this year as the Coastal Commission marks the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the California Coastal Act.

“As we celebrate the 50th year of the Coastal Act, Coastal Cleanup Day serves as an important reminder that we all need to show up to protect our coast,” said Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge. “Year after year, Californians demonstrate their commitment to a clean and healthy coast and ocean, proving that Californians will take action to save our state’s iconic shoreline.”

Past cleanup events have proven so successful that the Coastal Commission expanded the program in 2020 to include self-guided cleanups throughout the entire month of September. Last year, more than 40,000 volunteers turned out at over 700 cleanup sites on Coastal Cleanup Day itself.

The Coastal Commission organizes the event with help from hundreds of government and nonprofit partners throughout the state. Almost 1.9 million volunteers have helped remove more than 13,770 tons of trash since the event’s launch in 1985. The most common items include cigarette filters, food wrappers, plastic straws, and other utensils.

Winter rains in California can flush trash and other debris through rivers, creeks and channels from inland areas across hundreds of miles to the ocean. That means that even volunteers participating in places such as Sacramento, Riverside, and even the Sierra Nevada can help protect the coast.

To find the closest cleanup event near you, visit coastalcleanupday.org. Publicity posters and t-shirts are also available at the website. Follow statewide efforts on social media at facebook.com/CaliforniaCoast and instagram.com/thecaliforniacoast/. Please share your cleanup experience on social media using the hashtag #coastalcleanupday.