Late September is always a special time of year at Orange County Coastkeeper. For several years, we have served as the regional coordinator for California Coastal Cleanup Day, the state’s largest annual volunteer event. This statewide day of action to protect our ocean from pollution falls on the third Saturday of September every year (to avoid conflicting with Rosh Hashanah, this year, the event occurred on the fourth Saturday, September 23).
Across inland and coastal Orange County, 5,375 volunteers participated in 35 different cleanup events for OC Coastal Cleanup Day 2023! In just a few hours, these volunteers removed over 21,350 pounds of trash from our parks, beaches, and waterways.
That means nearly 10 tons of debris were prevented from ever reaching the ocean. With predictions of another wet winter ahead, the timing could not be better to clean up Orange County.
As the regional coordinator, our team helped distribute supplies, register volunteers, and provide promotional support. In addition to assisting cleanup sites, we hosted our own cleanup event at Huntington State Beach. In just three hours, 306 volunteers removed 283 pounds of trash from the Huntington Beach coastline. Our cleanup also featured a live DJ and sustainability fair where volunteers could learn more about how they can make eco-positive changes in their lives.
We would like to thank Panasonic, Irvine Ranch Water District, Coronado Brewing Company, Novolex, CalTrans, Grocery Outlet of Huntington Beach, Sprouts of Huntington Beach, and Succulent Coffee Roasters for their support of Orange County Coastal Cleanup Day.
P.S. Save the date for next year’s Coastal Cleanup Day – September 21, 2024!
