{"id":463832,"date":"2026-09-14T23:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T23:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/463832\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T23:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T23:08:12","slug":"coastal-cleanup-day-californias-largest-volunteer-event-is-back-for-42nd-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/463832\/","title":{"rendered":"Coastal Cleanup Day \u2014 California\u2019s Largest Volunteer Event \u2014 Is Back for 42nd Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The coast\u2019s biggest cleaning day of the year is back on Saturday, September 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the 42nd consecutive year, volunteers are invited to join their neighbors at their favorite beach from 9 a.m. to noon for Coastal Cleanup Day, a day dedicated to removing litter from local shores that started in California but has grown across the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event \u2014 the largest volunteer event in California \u2014 is expected to draw 50,000 people across hundreds of locations this year, according to the California Coastal Commission, the statewide organizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Volunteers are especially important this year as a potentially historic El Ni\u00f1o takes aim at the state<\/a>, the commission said in a press release. Increased rainfall from this major weather event can wash plastic pollution from creeks and streams into the ocean, it said.<\/p>\n

In Santa Barbara County, the event is organized by Explore Ecology, the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management, with support from the Cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang. It will cover 37 sites \u2014 up three from last year \u2014 from Rincon to Jalama, including beaches, creeks, parks and a river. Inland locations are important, too, because stormwater drainage systems can carry trash to the beach, Explore Ecology said in a press release.<\/p>\n

Alongside picking up garbage, volunteers will also contribute meaningful data that informs state and national environmental policy, such as the state\u2019s plastic bans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, 1,038 local volunteers removed 1.8 tons of litter in just three hours<\/a>, most of it plastic,\u201d said Jill Cloutier, PR director for Explore Ecology. \u201cWith more sites than ever, 2026 promises to be even more impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n

All ages are welcome, with some of the youngest site captains being as young as 10 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event also marks the start of Santa Barbara County\u2019s Creek Week<\/a>, which will be full of fun, watershed-centered activities to celebrate the region\u2019s rivers, creeks and streams, and inspire residents to keep its waterways healthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Learn more about Coastal Cleanup Day and sign up online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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