Author: Becca Kuntz, Marketing Coordinator, I Love A Clean San Diego

Registration is officially open for San Diego County’s Coastal Cleanup Day! This Coastal Cleanup Day, discover a new neighborhood, park, or beach while giving back to our environment. I Love A Clean San Diego will have over 100 cleanup sites to learn more about while making a difference on the environment!

At 104 cleanup sites last year, over 6,600 volunteers removed 128,126 pounds of debris from San Diego County! Help remove even more trash and debris and beautify San Diego County by registering for this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day on September 15, 2018, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM! Sign up now at www.CleanupDay.org!

Don’t let the name confuse you! This cleanup isn’t only about the beach. ILACSD’s volunteer efforts stretch far beyond the coast, reaching inland and coastal communities throughout the county. We encourage volunteers to check out cleanup sites located along rivers, creeks, canyons, and urban areas to help stop debris before it enters the watershed and is swept out to the ocean. Even if any debris does make it to the ocean, we will be holding four cleanups happening on the water in kayaks or boats.

Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers are unique because most pledge to bring at least one reusable item to the cleanup! This helps reduce the waste produced by an event of this size. When volunteers bring their own reusable water bottle, work gloves, and bucket to collect litter, they prevent thousands of single-use bags and disposable gloves from entering San Diego’s landfills. When registering, pledge to bring one (or all three!) of these items with you.

ILACSD will be hosting the “Bling Your Bucket” competition again this year, encouraging participants to use their imagination and get creative for Coastal Cleanup Day. Participants that decorate their reusable buckets will have the chance to win fun prizes and have their picture posted on the Coastal Cleanup Day website for one year! Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate!

The Sony Photo Contest is also returning to Coastal Cleanup Day! Show off you and your team by capturing a photo that highlights this year’s Photo Contest theme, “Cleaner Together.” After attending Coastal Cleanup Day, submit your best photo from the event into our competition, where the top five finalists will be put to a vote on the ILACSD Facebook page. The winner will receive a Sony Point and Shoot Camera!

Before heading to your cleanup site, make sure to download the Ocean Conservancy’s user-friendly mobile data collection app, Clean Swell. This app collects valuable data about debris collection and also helps us understand how we can better prevent litter. It also reduces the use of paper data cards!

In addition to removing litter on Coastal Cleanup Day, the event also includes beautification projects such as graffiti removal and the replacement of invasive species with drought-tolerant alternatives. Volunteers who signup will work with ILACSD across the county and learn different ways to preserve and enhance San Diego for current and future generations. ILACSD encourages all residents to learn more about their community on September 15^th and lead the way to a zero waste, litter-free, and environmentally engaged San Diego region.

Registration information and details regarding Coastal Cleanup Day can be found at www.CleanupDay.org.