Help Clean Up Santa Barbara’s Coast This Saturday

People are invited to hunt for garbage on Santa Barbara County beaches, parks, and creeks this Saturday, September 20, for the annual Coastal Cleanup Day. 

Nine-year-old Bodhi Crawford and his mom, Karissa Otero, will be captains at Jalama Beach in Lompoc, one of the 34 cleanup sites scattered across the county. 

It’s the mom-and-son team’s second year captaining. Last year, volunteers collected 55 pounds of trash from Jalama.

“But we’re gonna make it higher this time,” Crawford said. He and his mom help people prepare for the day, including providing cleanup materials such as buckets and gloves to volunteers (although people are encouraged to bring their own tools if possible). 

“My favorite thing to do after handing out the cleanup stuff is to help people find the trash,” he added excitedly.

The countywide effort is coordinated by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management, with support from the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang. 

Last year, 1,059 volunteers collected 2.65 tons of litter. Statewide, the cleanup — organized by the California Coastal Commission — had more than 45,000 volunteers remove at least 400,000 pounds of debris from the coastline. 

But Coastal Cleanup Day extends even beyond California’s borders — it is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, a global volunteer event that happens every year. 

Pyp Pratt, a 16-year-old junior at Midland School in Los Olivos, has been a site captain at Butterfly Beach in Montecito for nearly four years now. He said his grandparents across the sea in Bulgaria were inspired by his efforts on the ground in Santa Barbara, and they now participate in the international event every year. 

Butterfly is a “lighter beach with not much trash, but lots of human traffic,” Pratt noted. The trash instead branches into the surrounding neighborhood and around the railroad tracks. Roughly 50 participants came out to Pratt’s site last year to help clear it out, he said. 

“I’ve always been interested in the ocean — surfing, walking with my family,” he explained. “But as I got older, I became more aware of the pollution on and near our beaches, and through Explore Ecology, I started learning about how that impacts the community. Coastal cleanup day is a great solution to come together and clean the beaches.”

This year, as a thank-you to volunteers, the state is implementing the first “trashure hunt” — in Santa Barbara County, one mini treasure chest will be hidden at a select cleanup location and the lucky finder will win a two-night stay at the Cuyama Buckhorn Boutique Hotel.

Most beach debris is not any man’s “trashure,” however. Microplastics, small styrofoam pieces, and cigarette butts were the most common items filling up volunteers’ buckets in recent years. Crawford said he usually finds a lot of tissues, food wrappers, and plastic water bottle lids. 

According to Explore Ecology, each item collected and recorded contributes to a long-term dataset used by scientists and policymakers to reduce marine debris — such as CA Senate Bill 8 (2019) banning smoking in state parks and beaches.

Volunteers this year will be encouraged to use sifters to separate the microplastics from the sand, Otero said. 

Cleaning up the beach or the park is something she and her son do regularly. 

“When Bodhi was 3, a sailboat ran ashore Jalama that caused a lot of trash,” Otero recounted. “My dad and I would walk the beach and pick up a lot of that boat trash, and young Bodhi would follow behind, and that’s probably where he got it.”  

“He loves it. We’ll be walking down the beach, and I’ll turn around, and he’ll be picking up trash,” Otero added with a laugh. “To see the public inspired to come out to do it with us is so amazing.”

For the 41st Coastal Cleanup Day this year, there are brand-new sites where people can get involved on and off the beach, including Carpinteria Salt Marsh, Elings Park, Isla Vista streets, More Mesa, and Painted Cave.

“It’s impressive what volunteers can accomplish in three hours at local beaches, parks, and creeks,” said Jill Cloutier, Explore Ecology’s public relations director. “When community members of all ages come together for the coast, tons of litter, mostly plastic, won’t flow into the ocean when it rains. That’s a win for us — and for wildlife!” 

Coastal Cleanup day will take place on Saturday, September 20, 9 a.m.-noon, at 34 sites across the county. Volunteers can register on Eventbrite to be entered to win prizes, or through the event website: exploreecology.org/ccd. Volunteers can also earn community service hours — track hours and send totals to Jill@ExploreEcology.org.