Carly Aozasa, Graduate Student Worker, Live Well San Diego Support Team

I Love A Clean San Diego is on a mission to lead and inspire our community to actively conserve and enhance the environment through example, outreach, and local involvement. They provide environmental education, volunteer cleanups, and waste recovery resources and are dedicated to empowering every person to be leaders in conservation and waste-free living to protect and improve the health of San Diego County.

Here's a look back at their impact in 2022.

International Coastal Cleanup Day 2022 Results

On September 17^th, 2022, over 4,000 volunteers joined I Love A Clean San Diego for the 38th annual Coastal Cleanup Day where more than 35,000 pounds of litter and debris was collected from sites across the region.

“We are so grateful for the support of the San Diego community,” said the event’s director Ann Marie Sack. “It is incredible to witness San Diegans come together and be a last line of defense to prevent litter from reaching our ocean.”

Since Coastal Cleanup Day’s inception in 1985, over 276,000 volunteers countywide have removed over 5.4 million pounds of litter and debris from local communities.

But their efforts don’t stop there!

Clean Beach Coalition 2022 Results
During busy summer holidays, San Diego’s beaches and bays are the popular spots for local and out-of-town visitors. With the influx of beachgoers, permanent trash receptacles are overwhelmed by the surge of additional waste, which can lead to pollution on the beaches and in the bays and ocean.

Now in its 15th summer, I Love A Clean San Diego’s Clean Beach Coalition placed and maintained temporary waste and recycling bins over Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends, along the beaches and bays in Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Mission Bay.

Through the Clean Beach Coalition, a total of 35,400 pounds of trash and recycling were diverted from our beaches and bays in 2022. Over the past decade, the Clean Beach Coalition has kept 3.5 million pounds of trash off the beach and out of the ocean.

Creek to Bay Cleanup 2022 Results

On April 23^rd, 2022, I Love A Clean San Diego held their 20^th annual Creek to Bay Cleanup which is the largest environmental cleanup in San Diego County during Earth Week. This year the event had more than 5,500 registered volunteers remove over 74,000 pounds of litter and debris from streets, canyons, parks, and the coastline in communities across San Diego County.

Since 2002, the Creek to Bay Cleanup has blocked 2.7 million pounds of litter from entering the ocean and brought together over 83,000 volunteers.

Thanks to the amazing work of I Love A Clean San Diego and its volunteers San Diego is being preserved and enhance for future generations to enjoy.

To learn more about ILACSD events and resources, visit CleanSD.org.