Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Day 2019

Our 30th Anniversary of Coastal Cleanup Day

In 2019, Heal the Bay will celebrate their 30th year coordinating Coastal Cleanup Day in Los Angeles County. Are you interested in being part of this year’s cleanup and celebration? Consider signing up as a sponsor.

At last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day, Heal the Bay organized 13,464 volunteers and removed 59,600 pounds of trash and debris from L.A. County in a three-hour time span. Throughout the State of California, 66,535 volunteers removed 839,629 pounds of debris, on this day of action. And worldwide, 789,138 volunteers removed over 20 million pounds of trash and debris.

See the types of beach trash that volunteers often find, view last year’s results in Los Angeles County, statewide in California and worldwide.

This year, we’re excited to be working with local artist and illustrator, Aaron Gonzalez! Take a sneak peek at this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day poster design. Full poster coming soon.

Tips for having a wonderful Coastal Cleanup Day 2019:

• Try carpooling, ridesharing, biking or taking mass transit to avoid parking and traffic jams – and, please arrive early.
• “BYO”—Help us reduce waste by bringing your own buckets, reusable bags and gloves to pick up trash. However, cleanup supplies will be available at each site.
• Bring a reusable water bottle and wear sun block, a hat and sunglasses.
• We’re organizing a Sock Drive, at our Santa Monica sites, in support of people experiencing homelessness. You can drop off new and gently used socks, which will be donated to West Coast Care.
• When you take part in Coastal Cleanup Day you get FREE admission to our Heal the Bay Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier.
• We’ve launched a Change.org petition that urges the California Senate and Assembly to approve the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act. Over 400,000 signatures have been gathered so far and our goal is to reach 500,000 by Coastal Cleanup Day. Add your voice!

About Coastal Cleanup Day

Coastal Cleanup Day is an international day of action to protect our oceans, watersheds and wildlife from trash and debris. This massive volunteering effort has an astounding impact on many of our local natural habitats and communities. Heal the Bay proudly coordinates cleanup locations in Los Angeles County in association with Ocean Conservancy and California Coastal Commission.

Heal the Bay seeks volunteers of all ages and physical abilities to participate; no training or experience is necessary. Participants are advised to carpool, rideshare, bike or take mass transit – and to get there early! Heal the Bay Site Captains will organize a diverse mix of individuals, families, neighborhoods, community groups, schools, faith-based groups, sports teams, businesses and more.

Data from the annual Coastal Cleanup Day event points at single-use plastic pollution as a major local and global issue. Cigarette butts, plastic food wrappers, and plastic beverage bottles/caps remain the top items found by Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers. Other common items include plastic bags, plastic straws and stirrers, plastic take-out containers, plastic lids, and foam take-out containers.

Nearly 80 percent of pollution in our marine environment comes from the land. Runoff from more than 200,000 storm drains on L.A. streets flows out to the Pacific Ocean causing the majority of local ocean pollution. By removing tons of pollution from inland neighborhoods, in addition to beaches and waterways, cleanup participants reduce blight, protect marine animals and boost the regional economy.

See the worldwide reach of the International Coastal Cleanup.

A big thank you to our 2019 Coastal Cleanup Day sponsors!