The 41st Annual Coastal Cleanup Day, hosted locally by Explore Ecology, is coming to beaches, parks and creeks in Santa Barbara County, 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Sept. 20.

Last year, 1,059 community members from Jalama to Rincon removed more than 2.65 tons of litter from coastal and inland areas, much of it plastic.

Statewide, 45,000 volunteers removed 400,000-plus pounds of debris.

This year’s event is expected to be the largest ever, with 35 sites in total, including seven new locations: Carpinteria Salt Marsh, Elings Park, Ellwood Beach and Bluffs, Isla Vista Streets, More Mesa, Painted Cave, and San Pedro and Las Vegas creeks. 

Interested volunteers can view a full list of sites and sign up for their favorite at ExploreEcology.org/ccd.

Everyone who pre-registers is automatically entered in a drawing to win exciting prizes donated by local businesses.

The success of Coastal Cleanup Day depends on site captains, volunteer community members in charge of handing out cleanup materials, guiding volunteers, and reporting data after the event.

Youth leaders Bodhi Crawford, age 8, and Pyp Pratt, 16, both Environmental Stewardship Award winners, will captain sites, showing that people of all ages can take action against ocean pollution, protect wildlife, and preserve the natural beauty of Santa Barbara, Explore Ecology said.

“Coastal Cleanup Day is our chance to pitch in and see the difference we’re making. It’s amazing to help keep our beaches and ocean clean while connecting with our community.” said longtime site captains Lyn Moore and Eddie Oros of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. “We hope it inspires more people to get out there and join us.”

Cleanup materials will be provided at all sites, though participants are encouraged to bring their own cleanup supplies to reduce waste. 

“Coastal Cleanup Day is more than just a day of picking up trash- it’s also about collecting valuable data,” Explore Ecology said. “Every item volunteers find and record becomes part of a long-term dataset that tracks which plastic products are making their way to the ocean. This information has been valuable in shaping and monitoring policies to reduce marine debris.”

In 1998, or example, plastic bags were the fifth most common item collected during the cleanup. After California banned plastic bags in 2016, they dropped out of the top 10 most collected items by the very next year.

Similarly, the consistently high number of cigarette butts documented in cleanup data helped lead to the passage of California Senate Bill 8 in 2019, which banned smoking in state parks and beaches.

This year, Explore Ecology is adding a Trashure Hunt at select sites. While participants pick up litter, they can keep an eye out for a hidden mini treasure chest. Find it and win a prize.

“I am so excited to participate in Coastal Cleanup Day. It’s such a great opportunity to make a difference in my community and contribute to keeping our coastlines clean and our ocean healthy,” said Celeste DeLucchi, Explore Ecology’s Coastal Cleanup Day intern.

“Spending the day protecting our oceans and all the life that lives in them is such a great way to spend a Saturday. I am so excited to see all the trash we find and redirect from our beaches,” she said.

Santa Barbara County Coastal Cleanup Day is coordinated by Explore Ecology and the Santa Barbara County Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, with support from the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang.

Thanks are offered to the nonprofits, businesses and individuals who make the event possible.

The California Coastal Commission organizes the statewide event and the international event is organized by the Ocean Conservancy.

For more about Explore Ecology, visit ExploreEcology.org.