Typically – around the world – the third Saturday of September is reserved for shoreline clean-ups worldwide. This annual effort leads to the removal of multi-tons of plastic and general trash from shorelines, creek beds, lake shores and rivers.
How do we know the tonnage? Because the volunteers log in the data to an app CLEAN SWELL as they go along picking up various kinds of trash: plastic, cigarette butts, cans and bottles, etc.
California Coastal Cleanup During COVID-19
Author: Eben Schwartz (Marine Debris Program Manager, California Coastal Commission)
California’s largest annual volunteer event adopted a very different model this year. Due to COVID-19 and the need to keep volunteers safe, the traditional California Coastal Cleanup DAY transformed into California Coastal Cleanup MONTH.
Throughout September, volunteers were encouraged to clean California’s coast starting from their own front door. Neighborhood cleanups — designed to remove trash from streets, local parks, creeks, and other natural areas — took place throughout the state with more than 13,000 participants. Trash on our streets is ocean pollution just waiting to happen: When the rain begins, trash washes easily into storm drains and creeks, and from there, can wash out to the ocean or onto our coast. The neighborhood cleanup model was an effective method to help keep our coast free from marine debris.As they cleaned, volunteers kept track of what they were finding using the Clean Swell app.
The results were impressive: As the month progressed, we watched as California led the world with more than 3,000 individual cleanup events by the end of the month — with 13,600 volunteers and 98,100 pounds of trash re-moved. This was more than three times the number of cleanups held in any other state or country. Other aspects of the data helped reveal the impact of the pandemic on our environment. For example, plastic grocery bags, which had been decreasing in the cleanup data set since 2010, saw a jump back into the top 10.
This is likely due to the temporary suspension of the statewide plastic bag ban when the stay-at-home executive order began in March. Another interesting finding was the amount of personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, that were found. Volunteers removed more than 6,000 of these items, a testament to a new form of litter the pandemic has spawned. 2020 Coastal Cleanup Month Stats & Top Ten Collected ItemsPhoto: CA Coastal Commission
Of course, the boating community demonstrated its continued commitment to keeping our shorelines and waterways clean, as 335 volunteers and 29 vessels from 27 boating facilities and boating groups participated in the event. This community effort removed more than 3,930 pounds of trash and recyclables.
As we move into 2021 and beyond, local organizers are exploring ways to continue the neighborhood cleanup model in addition to hopefully returning to hosting large cleanup sites. The revised model allowed for many people to discover a new way to contribute to this stewardship activity. Organizers hope that continuing this cleanup model can bring more people than ever into the ongoing effort to protect our coast, ocean, and waterways. For more information about this event, visit coast4u.org.