Coastal Cleanup Day looks to break records LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (BDCi) – More than 80,000 volunteers are expected at Saturday’s California Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD), an annual event coordinated by Heal the Bay, the California Coastal Commission and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. CCD began in 1985 and has grown into a huge annual event. Every state with a coastline participates, including the Great Lakes states, and even some inland states clean river and lake shores. The one-day cleanup is international and have over 60 nations participate; it also may be the largest volunteer day on the planet. According to the California Coastal Commission, the 2010 event saw over 82,500 volunteers remove upwards of 1.2 million pounds of trash and recyclables from California beaches, lakes and waterways. California’s Coastal Cleanup Day can count on over 10,000 volunteers to cleanup places each year in L.A. County at 50 sites along Santa Monica Bay and along inland creeks and waterways. CCD involves individuals, schools, and community and corporate volunteer groups. Volunteers in Los Angeles County typically collect tens of thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables during a three-hour period (9:00 to noon). By filling out the trash “data cards” during the cleanup, volunteers are helping to identify specific problems and thereby stop polluters in the future. Most people clean at the beach and on foot, but there are also special cleanups for inland creeks, boaters, kayakers, and divers. By far the most common items picked up are cigarette butts. To find out how you can get involved call 1(800) COAST-4U or go to www.healthebay.org.
BDCi crew will be in Santa Monica to bring you more info. Stay tuned!
By: Adrianna Lobo Source: Heal the Bay Photo: Courtesy of Sonoma Ecology Center September, 16, 2011
10:20 p.m. PDT