California Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers remove trash and collect data at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. Photo courtesy of the California Coastal Commission

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Get ready to participate and make a difference during this year’s annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, Sept. 20. From 9 a.m. to noon, more than 50 California state parks and the Division of Boating and Waterways will participate in the state’s largest annual volunteer event in coordination with the California Coastal Commission.

Organized by the California Coastal Commission, more than 45,000 volunteers are expected to gather at locations throughout the state, including beaches and shorelines. But the event is not limited to coastal regions; there are cleanups along inland waterways as well, including in the Sierra region.

California’s event is also part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Last year, more than 47,000 volunteers removed over 400,000 pounds, or 200 tons, of trash and recyclables from our waterways, beaches and lakes. In addition to individual volunteers, 40 boating facilities and groups participated with 1,391 volunteers collecting 9,745 pounds of trash and recyclables on land and from 95 kayaks, canoes and dinghies.

New this year, California Coastal Cleanup Day will become the world's largest scavenger hunt. Special "trashure" items will be hidden at cleanup sites across the state. Volunteers finding one of these items can redeem them for valuable prizes!

The event also provides hands-on educational experiences about the damage that trash, especially single-use disposable plastics, can cause to California’s wildlife, economy and human health. According to past cleanup data, 75 percent of the debris volunteers remove is composed of plastic, a material that never completely biodegrades and has numerous harmful consequences in the environment. Plastic debris can kill wildlife, leach toxins into the environment and introduce them into the food chain.

To join this statewide effort, the California Coastal Commission has an interactive map of cleanup locations throughout the state, available here. Volunteers can check the website for updates and share their cleanup experiences on social media using the hashtag #coastalcleanupday.

Follow statewide efforts on the California Coastal Commission’s Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram social media channels. Be ready to reuse many items you may have at home to participate in this year's unique event and learn how to make your participation greener here. See you Sept. 20!