San Rafael, CA – In Marin County, the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day effort is both tons of fun and tons of trash. Your chance to volunteer with Marin County Parks personnel and more than 1,000 local neighbors is upon us. The three-hour junk collection blitz will go from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 15.
A group from Coastal Cleanup Day in September 2017. In 2017, 1,524 Marin volunteers participated in the cleanup, rounding up 12,826 pounds of trash – roughly 6 ½ tons – and 1,287 pounds of recyclable materials at more than 40 locations.
Marin County Parks will orchestrate the volunteer undertaking at locations such as the Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Pathway, Kent Island and Agate Beach near Bolinas, the Black Point Boat Launch in Novato, 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 33 previous Coastal Cleanups statewide, 1.5 million volunteers have collected more than 23 million pounds of debris from the state’s beaches, lakes and waterways. In 2017, 66,535 volunteers participated at over 1,000 sites, and 839,632 pounds of trash and recyclables were removed. Those figures include results from the 22-county Great Sierra River Cleanup as well.
Garbage from homes, walkways, and streets can travel through storm drains or other channels to reach the sea. Cigarette butts, food wrappers, drink container caps and lids, and both paper and plastic bags are the most common items found. Many sites in Marin are impacted by trash that hitches rides on the tides, said Parks’ Volunteer Coordinator Kirk Schroeder.
“In some locations it’s common to find trash deposited along the high tide line where wetland plants or other features such as seawalls can trap trash in place,” Schroeder said. “Cleanups at sites like those help illustrate the true breadth and connectedness of our watersheds. They also enable volunteers to provide service to the environment on both a local and regional level.”
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.
The 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 Kirk Schroeder at 415-763-2977 or email kschroeder@marincounty.org.