Long Beach is looking for volunteers for the 42nd annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.
This longtime annual event serves as an opportunity for the community to make a positive impact by helping keep local beaches and marinas clean, healthy and thriving. This year’s cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 19 at 10 locations across Long Beach.
Last year, more than 950 Long Beach volunteers removed nearly 2,400 pounds of debris in just three hours, officials said.
Led by the California Coastal Commission, this year’s Cleanup Day will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act, according to a press release, a landmark legislation that established the commission to regulate land and water use along the state’s 1,100-mile shoreline by maximizing public access, protecting marine habitats and regulating land development within the legally defined Coastal Zone.
“We invite our Long Beach community to join this year’s California Coastal Cleanup Day and help care for the shoreline we all cherish,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “This year is especially meaningful as communities across California commemorate 50 years of the California Coastal Act and its Commission that has been dedicated to protecting our coast over the last five decades.
“Coming together for this cleanup is a powerful way to honor that legacy,” Richardson added, “and ensure our beaches and marinas remain vibrant, healthy spaces for generations to come.”
Before the Hsa Lai Temple members being cleaning up the beach, they do a thai chi ritual to prepare for the day. There were 160 temple members who came to be apart of the cleaup day. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
The 41st Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is taking place at Juniper Beach. Community members came out to join the annual effort that helps keep the city’s beaches and marinas trash-free. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles Waterkeeper group helps volunteers get equipment so they can help cleanup Juniper Beach. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
Penny and John, long time residents of Long Beach, came out to help clean Juniper Beach for Coastal Cleanup day. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
The 41st Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is taking place at Juniper Beach. Community members came out to join the annual effort that helps keep the city’s beaches and marinas trash-free. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
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Before the Hsa Lai Temple members being cleaning up the beach, they do a thai chi ritual to prepare for the day. There were 160 temple members who came to be apart of the cleaup day. Long Beach, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo by Stephanie E’amato, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach has long served as one of the main locations for California Coastal Cleanup Day, officials said. This year, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, and its local partners are expanding the cleanup’s footprint by adding five locations along the coastline and interior beaches – doubling the number of cleanups offered from last year.
The city, in collaboration with the California Coastal Commission and the community partners listed below, will host cleanups at:
Alamitos Bay Marina, 255 N. Marina Drive, led by Seal Beach Yacht Club.
Alamitos Beach, 380 E. Shoreline Drive, led by Ocean Conservancy.
Belmont Pier, 3998 E. Allin St., led by El Dorado Nature Center’s Adopt-A-Beach Program.
Bluff Park, intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Lindero Avenue, led by the Department of Public Works’ Litter Free LB and Bluff Park Neighborhood Association.
Junipero Beach, 2100 E. Ocean Blvd., led by L.A. Water Keeper.
MacArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St., led by Litter Free LB and CLIMB Central LB.
Mother’s Beach, 5839 Appain Way, led by Algalita.
Peninsula, 72nd Place and East Ocean Boulevard, led by the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Shoreline Park, 700 E. Shoreline Drive, led by Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine.
Rainbow Harbor, 212 Golden Shore, led by Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine.
Besides engaging volunteers in the cleanup, each volunteer site will feature various activities, educational components and giveaways provided by each of the site captains, the press release said.
The Alamitos Beach cleanup, for example, will also be part of the 41st annual International Coastal Cleanup. The event will feature USA Artistic Swimming athletes and other special activations as part of the city’s 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games planning efforts and Ocean Conservancy’s “Protect Where We Play” initiative.
Come summer 2028, Alamitos Beach will serve as the site for Olympic beach volleyball and Paralympic blind football. Activating this space underscores the city’s commitment to preparing for the 2028 Games, building a lasting legacy and encouraging the community to join in the effort, officials said.
Gloves and trash bags will be provided to volunteers across all sites, though participants are encouraged to bring their own reusable supplies, such as work gloves, buckets and grabbers to limit waste.
Volunteers are encouraged to submit a volunteer waiver online before the event, but paper copies will be available on the day of the cleanup as well. Volunteers under 16 years of age will require a parental or caregiver signature. Parking will be free to volunteers in the nearest beach lot for the duration of the event.
For more information, contact the El Dorado Nature Center at 562-570-1745 or visit lbcity.info/naturecenterevents.
August beach cleanup results
Blue Shield of California and Surfrider Foundation Long Beach partnered to host a beach cleanup on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Blue Shield of California)
Blue Shield of California and Surfrider Foundation Long Beach partnered to host a beach cleanup on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Blue Shield of California)
Blue Shield of California and Surfrider Foundation Long Beach partnered to host a beach cleanup on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Blue Shield of California)
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Blue Shield of California and Surfrider Foundation Long Beach partnered to host a beach cleanup on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Blue Shield of California)
Two community organizations recently came together to support the health of Long Beach residents by hosting a beach cleanup — separate from this month’s statewide effort.
Blue Shield of California teamed up with the Surfrider Foundation’s Long Beach Chapter to remove trash and debris from the Belmont Pier area last month, according to a press release. More than 70 volunteers helped remove more than 300 pounds of trash from the city’s coastline.
“Protecting our coastline is about more than preserving natural spaces,” Jenny Harrah, Surfrider’s Healthy Beaches programs manager, said in a statement. “It’s about getting together to build community around the shared purpose of creating a cleaner, healthier environment for us all.
“We’re grateful to work alongside Blue Shield of California and its volunteers,” Harrah added, “whose commitment to protecting our coastline demonstrates how local action can create meaningful benefits for both people and the planet.”
The beach cleanup, which took place on Aug. 21, was part of the health plan’s commitment to supporting health through environmental action; it was one of the four large-scale Blue Shield beach cleanups that took place across California in August. In total, the four Blue Shield of California beach cleanups drew a combined 250 volunteers in Santa Monica, Long Beach, San Diego and the Bay Area, the press release said.
“As a nonprofit health plan, giving back is part of who we are, and we know that environmental health and human health are deeply connected,” Jane Nichol, corporate citizenship manager at Blue Shield, said in a statement. “Clean beaches support healthier communities, thriving ecosystems and a better future for California. We’re grateful to partner with the Surfrider Foundation and proud to roll up our sleeves to protect our coastline and make a positive difference in the communities we serve.”