Volunteers show their enthusiasm for cleaning the beach during Coastal Cleanup Day. Photo: Heal the Bay
Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers clean the beach and fill in a data card. Photo: Heal the Bay

Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) began in 1985 and has grown into a huge annual event. Every state with a coastline participates, including the Great Lakes states, and even some inland states clean river and lake shores. The one-day cleanup is international—at last count, over 60 nations participated—and may be the largest volunteer day on the planet.

Heal the Bay and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors are the Los Angeles County coordinators for the state of California's Coastal Cleanup Day. We bring out over 10,000 volunteers to cleanup sites each year in L.A. County to over 50 sites along Santa Monica Bay and along inland creeks and waterways. Please see the sidebar on the right for information about the next Coastal Cleanup Day in Los Angeles County.

Coastal Cleanup Day involves individuals, schools, community and company volunteer groups. Volunteers in Los Angeles County typically collect tens of thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables during a three-hour period. By filling out the trash "data cards" during the cleanup, volunteers are helping to identify and stop polluters in the future.

Most people clean at the beach and on foot, but there are also special cleanups for inland creeks, boaters, kayakers, and divers. By far the most common item picked up are cigarette butts. Some of the more unusual items found in recent years were a chandelier, a briefcase full of graham crackers, and a bridal gown.

Coastal Cleanup Day is held annually on the third Saturday of September. Please see the sidebar on the right-side of this page for details about the next Coastal Cleanup Day in Los Angeles County. For other California locations, please visit the California Coastal Commission website.