San Rafael, CA – One year ago, 1,038 volunteers participated in the California Coastal Cleanup in Marin County, collecting 13,053 pounds of trash and 3,162 pounds of recyclable materials at 44 locations.
All told, more than 1.4 million people have volunteered in the 32 previous years of Coastal Cleanup Day.Can those totals be improved this year? The County of Marin is recruiting volunteers now for the 33rd annual Coastal Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on September 16.
Marin County Parks will orchestrate the volunteer collection effort at locations such as the Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Pathway, Kent Island near Bolinas, McInnis Park and McNears Beach Park in San Rafael, Hal Brown Park in Greenbrae, and Aramburu Island near Strawberry. The Kent Island cleanup is accessible by boat ride and will start one hour later than the other locations, at 10 a.m.
In the 32 previous Coastal Cleanups statewide, 1.4 million people have volunteered and more than 23 million pounds of debris has been removed from the state’s beaches, lakes and waterways. A year ago, more than 59,000 people removed about 700,000 pounds of trash and recyclable materials at a record-breaking 922 cleanup sites.
Garbage from homes, walkways, and streets can travel through storm drains or other channels to reach the sea. Cigarette butts and plastics are the most common items found. The most unique item found by Marin County Parks volunteers in 2016 was in Bothin Marsh on Richardson Bay in Mill Valley. It was a snow globe from the Chapel of the Sierra Foothills.
“The reason that that item was interesting was because it highlights the fact that trash can move from long distances, and in our region all of it flows in to San Francisco Bay and into the ocean,” said Parks’ Volunteer Coordinator Kirk Schroeder. “The bay is still impacted by, and still recovering from, the sediment and mercury that are remnants of hydro-mining during the Gold Rush.”
The statistics generated by the Coastal Cleanup organizers help inform the public about the source of trash in our oceans and allows agencies to
seek out the worst offenders and target the problem at the source.
This family-friendly event, held on the third Saturday each September, features a free barbecue lunch at the Bay Model in Sausalito and raffle prizes. All ages and skill levels are welcome, although kids 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
To RSVP or ask questions, contact Schroeder at 415-763-2977.