Annual Coastal Cleanup Day: The Results are in!

For the past few months, the Save Our Shores team has worked diligently, putting together supply bags, training site captain volunteers, and reaching out near and far for volunteers to participate in the largest cleanup of the Monterey Bay area. Save Our Shores is the regional coordinator of Coastal Cleanup Day, organizing cleanup events across Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, since its inception in 1984.

This year, Save Our Shores coordinated 50 cleanup sites, throughout Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, where 1,297 volunteers collected 5,558 pounds of debris (4,859.7 pounds of trash and 698.5 pounds of recycling) in just 3 hours. One location with the largest amount of trash collected was along Lompico Creek, removing 1,316 pounds; another honorable mention was Seacliff State Beach who saw an impressive volunteer turnout, with 114 volunteers participating!

We want to take this time to thank all our volunteers, local nonprofits, and businesses, who participated in helping us continue our legacy in being the Monterey Bay Regional Coordinator for Annual Coastal Cleanup Day. This event would not be possible without dedicated volunteers leading each of our cleanup sites, our sponsors for supporting this massive effort, and all our community members who come out to take part in making Monterey Bay cleaner and healthier for all who call this place home.

This single day cleanup effort is the product of a partnership with the California Coastal Commission, who leads the California statewide effort, and the Ocean Conservancy, who leads the international effort. All in, this is the largest volunteer cleanup event of the year and we hope to see you out there with us next year!