Free online volunteer registration opens September 1, 2021 at CleanupDay.org. Volunteer groups expected to grow significantly from 2020

San Diego County CA— International Coastal Cleanup Day returns to San Diego County for its 37^th edition on Saturday, September 18, 2021. About 80 percent of all marine debris originates inland, so people of all ages and from all points in the region are encouraged to participate in one of the world’s largest environmental preservation efforts. Volunteers can cleanup at any point during the day. Learn more at the official Coastal Cleanup Day San Diego website CleanupDay.org.
The San Diego County event is a major part of International Coastal Cleanup, which includes many U.S. states, territories, and over 90 countries. San Diego County volunteers are joining nearly one million volunteers all over the world in the removal of pollution from our connected ecosystems.
Produced by I Love A Clean San Diego for the region, and in cooperation with the California Coastal Commission and Ocean Conservancy, the event has hosted over 269,000 volunteers countywide who have removed over 5.4 million pounds of litter and debris from local communities since its inception in 1985. Despite the effects of the pandemic in 2020, San Diego County stood out. The region’s effort accounted for 1 percent of international litter totals, nearly six percent of the national totals and 20 percent of California’s results.
This year, Coastal Cleanup Day is making a return to group volunteering and data collection at litter hot spots across the county. If volunteers would like to find a litter hotspot in the county to do their cleanup, they can check the hotspot map on CleanupDay.org when registration opens Sept. 1.
Keeping with the theme protecting the coast starts at your front door, organizers are still offering a close to home option to allow more volunteers the opportunity to cleanup streets, parks, canyons and beaches within their own communities.
“No matter where you live in San Diego County, we all live in one of the region’s 11 watersheds, which need our help to protect the inland environment, creeks, bays and ultimately the ocean,” said Len Hering, executive director at I Love A Clean San Diego. “We’re happy to be making a significant step toward getting back together in groups to show our love for the region we call home.”
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) will be celebrating its 20^th year participating in Coastal Cleanup Day, making it the longest serving corporate team in the San Diego region, according to I Love A Clean San Diego. SDG&E encourages all volunteers to be community scientists and record their data during and after their cleanup so the results of local efforts are included in the global totals.
“Coastal Cleanup Day is an event our employees look forward to each year, and we will be out at four locations this year,” said Scott Crider, senior vice president of customer services and external affairs at SDG&E. “Heading into our 20^th year of volunteering for the event, we are proud to have stopped over 110,000 pounds of trash from going into our waterways.”
Be a community scientist and report cleanup data online. This year we are recording the Thank Yous volunteers receive from passersby while working on their project.
All volunteers must register at CleanupDay.org to officially participate and have their cleanup totals officially counted in the international effort.
Prior to event day, registered volunteers receive a link to a simple cleanup report form to report their cleanup stats and data, which can be accessed on mobile device or computer.
I Love A Clean San Diego has created a Volunteer Impact Map. This map visualizes all locations and cleanup totals around San Diego County in real time as volunteers submit data on event day.
Adding an appreciation metric, volunteers will report the number of “thank yous” they receive from passersby while working on their cleanup project.
To help expand the countywide experience, volunteers are encouraged to contribute to the virtual cleanup’s story through Facebook and Instagram with images and video to show themselves in action as they beautify their community. #ILoveACleanSD @ILoveACleanSD #ProtectYourHappyPlace #CCD2021
Top 10 Items Collected Around the World in 2020
Plastic is the problem: All items listed below are example of single-use plastic.

1. Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) 4,771,602
2. Cigarette Butts 4,211,962
3. Plastic Beverage Bottles 1,885,833
4. Plastic Bottle Caps 1,500,523
5. Straws, Stirrers 942,992
6. Plastic Cups, Plates 754,969
7. Plastic Grocery Bags 740,290
8. Plastic Take Out/Away Containers 678,312
9. Other Plastic Bags 611,100
10. Plastic Lids 605,778

Source: OceanConservancy.org

About Coastal Cleanup Day

I Love A Clean San Diego has been the official organizer of Coastal Cleanup Day in San Diego County since it was founded in 1985. The event is a major part of International Coastal Cleanup Day and includes many U.S. states and territories, and over 90 countries. Each year the event attracts nearly one million volunteers globally and about 6,000 throughout San Diego County who prevent ocean pollution from our connected ecosystems. International Coastal Cleanup was founded by the Ocean Conservancy and is coordinated in California by the California Coastal Commission.

About I Love A Clean San Diego County

Founded in 1954, I Love A Clean San Diego is an environmental nonprofit supporting residents and businesses of San Diego County through youth and adult education, and local action through impactful volunteer events and workshops. As San Diego’s most influential advocate for sustainability, I Love A Clean San Diego’s programs are an environmental catalyst, awakening passion and inspiring action to empower everyone to be leaders in conservation and waste-free living. Our community is passion in action to maintain and improve the health of the home we love. For more information, to volunteer or donate, visit CleanSD.org or call (619) 291-0103. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn