Get Coastal on Saturday by Keeping the Oceans Plastic-Free

Coastal Cleanup Day Volunteers Help Keep the Ocean Clean by Picking Up Trash

Volunteers bring in thousands of pounds of stuff that would otherwise wash into the Pacific Ocean during the annual Coastal Cleanup Day, which takes place on Saturday, September 18 this year. | Credit: Courtesy Explore Ecology

Thousands of pounds of litter have been picked up each year along Santa Barbara County’s shoreline during the annual Coastal Cleanup days, and this year’s event takes place Saturday, September 18, from 9 a.m.-noon.

The educators at Explore Ecology invite the hundreds of volunteers, who are asked to wear face masks this year at check-in and check-out, to take part in clearing away marine debris from Santa Barbara’s beaches and waterways. Each of the 28 locations will have captains leading the effort and providing information and supplies, though participants are asked to bring gloves, buckets, and other reusable cleanup supplies to cut down on the plastics used.

You can just show up — or pre-register here, which is preferred — at the locations listed at the Explore Ecology Coastal Cleanup Day website. The trash pickup goes on throughout September and can add to the annual tally of junk being kept out of the ocean at the Clean Swell app or on the Google drive form.

The City of Goleta’s beach cleanup captains for Haskell’s Beach explain everything you need to know to take part in this short video.

English: