This coming Saturday, September 17th, marks International Coastal Cleanup Day when volunteers around the world head to their nearby beaches in a global effort to rid the coasts of man made pollutants. This international event is ran annually by the Ocean Conservancy, whose goal is to tackle the biggest threats that our oceans face. As members of the Malibu community or any community in close proximity with the ocean, it is of vital importance to try to protect what may be Earth’s most precious natural resource.
The Ocean Conservancy has over 3,000 official clean up sites across the globe with two right here in Malibu located at Leo Carrillo State Beach and Surfrider Beach. Ran locally by The California Coastal Commission, each location’s cleanup begins at 9am and ends at 12pm. No sign up is necessary, however you are expected to print, fill out, and bring the waiver provided here if you plan to attend. Other nearby cleanup locations include Tower 8 at Will Roger’s Beach in Santa Monica, Hueneme Beach, and Redondo Beach.
The 2016 International Coastal Cleanup Day follows a 2015 Cleanup Day that saw incredibly successful results in volunteer turnout and trash collection. A year ago the Ocean Conservancy recorded almost 800,000 volunteers globally including 200,000 in the United States alone. 2015 also saw more than 18 million pounds of trash collected globally with nearly 4 million of that in the US. Amongst the most frequently collected items of trash were cigarette butts with 2.1 million pieces globally, followed by plastic beverage containers with 1.02 million collected globally, and food wrappers in third place with nearly 900,000 collected globally. To see full statistics of the clean up from 2015 click here.
If you are interested in attending any of these locations for the cleanup day, Heal the Bay recommends that you bring the following items for beach cleanups:
- A bucket or reusable bag*
- Gloves (like gardening gloves or leather work gloves)*
- A reusable water bottle*
- (Optional) A clipboard might be helpful as you fill out your data card
- (Optional) Pack a waste-free lunch! Coastal Cleanup Day ends at noon at most locations, which makes for a great opportunity to have lunch at the beach or creek! Just be sure to leave your lunch spot cleaner than when you arrived. Get waste-free lunch tips.
Heal the Bay stresses the importance of bringing your own items to reduce the amount of trash that is created by each of these events. You can see more about what clothes to wear and what to expect here.
If you are unable to make the organized event this weekend or just want to contribute on your own time, the Ocean Conservancy makes it really easy to plan your beach day cleanup by providing information and tips on what to do before, during, and after your clean up. Visit their informational page here. We hope to see you out there!
