Bay Area Residents: Volunteer at a Coastal Cleanup Month Event and Help Protect Our Coastline and Local Waterways

Published: Sep 19, 2024

Bay Area - Throughout the month of September, Californians have hundreds of opportunities to beautify local waterways and contribute to healthier, cleaner communities as part of the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup Month.

Caltrans is partnering with the California Coastal Commission to celebrate four decades of cleaning the state's rivers, streams, and coastlines.

People interested in helping the environment and making a difference in their neighborhoods are invited to register for a local cleanup event at CoastalCleanupDay.org.

This includes numerous local events such as:

Ocean Beach Coastal Cleanup Day

• Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
• Ocean Beach, San Francisco
• 800 Great Hwy
  San Francisco, CA 94121
• Ocean Beach Coastal Cleanup Day · Together SF (mobilize.us)

Linda Mar Beach Coastal Cleanup Day

• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• Linda Mar Beach Pacifica
• 5000 CA-1
  Pacifica, CA 94044
• Linda Mar Beach Cleanup, Pacifica - 3rd Saturday - Pacific Beach Coalition

Coastal Cleanup Month events are designed to rid the natural environment of unsightly litter and harmful debris and educate participants to better understand their impact on community waterways, such as lakes, rivers, creeks, and the ocean. Increasingawareness and changing behaviors related to waterway preservation aligns with Governor Gavin Newsom's $1.2 billion Clean California initiative, a sweeping three-year, statewide litter reduction and beatification program.

"The Caltrans team has supported the California Coastal Cleanup for nearly half a decade and this year is no exception," says Dina El-Tawansy, Caltrans District 4 director. "We take pride in California's natural beauty and know we all have to do our part to ensure our beaches and waterways flourish. Our people carry out this kind of work every day on California's highways and byways-now we're using our own time to brighten up our beaches and encourage all Californians to join in."

Litter, pet waste and other refuse can pose significant risks and negative impacts to waterways when they aren't disposed of properly. Even garbage discarded far from rivers and the ocean can make its way there by traveling down storm ways, underscoring the need to keep these valuable natural resources free of pollutants.

Trash accumulates during the drier months when Californians travel, recreate and spend more time outdoors. The first heavy rains of the season often wash untreated waste and debris into waterways and the ocean. Coastal Cleanup Month aims to generate urgent community action before the winter season to mitigate potential impacts of these contaminants.

About Clean California and the Caltrans Stormwater Public Education Campaign:

Both programs are administered by Caltrans. Clean California is Governor Newsom's sweeping, $1.2 billion, multiyear cleanup effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and join with communities throughout the state to reclaim, transform and beautify public spaces. The Caltrans Stormwater Public Education Campaign complements this endeavor by working to increase understanding of the sources and pathways of stormwater pollution across California.

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 2.6 million cubic yards of litter-enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 from San Diego to the Canadian border. Caltrans has hosted more than 500 free dump days in communities throughout the state-resulting in the collection of more than 12,000-plus mattresses and 50,000 tires. For more information, visit CleanCA.com and CleanWaterCA.com.

About the California Coastal Commission:

The California Coastal Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California's coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally sustainable development, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination. The Coastal Cleanup Day Program is part of its effort to raise public awareness of marine and coastal resources and promote coastal stewardship. For more information, visit Coastal.CA.gov.

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