Thousands of volunteers spanned out from urban creeks to sandy beaches and beyond with the same mission – to help keep the coast clean.
The collective effort in Orange County on Saturday, Sept. 17, was part of the larger California Coastal Cleanup Day, which also coincides with International Coastal Cleanup Day, making it the largest volunteer effort on the planet.
People make their way to the Surfrider Foundation booth set up at the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With the Huntington Beach Pier in the background, volunteers walk the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jennifer Sbalcio of San Gabriel searches the sand looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Under partly cloudy skies, volunteer Aasha Kumar of Corona walks the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Gloves in a bin available for volunteers at the Surfrider Foundation booth during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Albert Lim of Brea, left, and his son, Kaden Lim, 7, walk the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteer Aasha Kumar of Corona walks the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers walk the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kaden Lim, 7, left, and his dad, Albert Lim of Brea, walk the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Surfers make their way too the water as volunteers walk the beach looking for trash during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers take part in the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022 where they collect trash to help the ocean. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers take part in the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Maiko Obara and her 9-year-old daughter, Kaiko, collect trash along the Brea Creek Channel during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers take part in the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Trash is hauled away after volunteers collected it during the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers take part in the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022 where they collect trash to help the ocean. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Laurel Magnet School teachers Kim Thorsen, left, and Kristen Delgado haul their trash to the garbage but not before taking a selfie for the school’s instagram account. They were taking part in the 38th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day at the Brea Creek Channel on Saturday, September 17, 2022. Groups hit parks, lakes, rivers and the ocean. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Helpers not only scoured the sand to remove debris, but also parks, watersheds, rivers and lakes throughout the region as part of the Inner Coastal Cleanup, a way to stop trash before it washes down watersheds and into the ocean, where it becomes a threat to marine life and habitat.
The beaches needed the extra help, especially after the tropical storm that raged through the region a week ago, sending rain that washed trash from streets and sewers and toward the ocean. Many beaches this week had trash littering the waterline as the first big flush in months swept debris to the coast.
The California Coastal Cleanup Day is hosted by the state Coastal Commission, which tallies the amount of debris from more than 700 sites. Saturday marked its 38th year.
“These events really do more than help us capture huge amounts of trash before it enters the ocean,” said Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. “They allow us to come together to celebrate our precious waterways and coastal resources as a community.”
The cleanup always includes a number of contests, such as a competition for who can find the most unusual item. It takes a few days for full results to be tallied, and this year people who do a cleanup on their own this month can have their efforts counted toward the statewide goals by downloading the app CleanSwell.
In Huntington Beach, OC Coastkeeper hosted hundreds of helpers who came together to pluck trash from the sand, with an added treat of large art installations, vendors and concessions. There was even a mermaid meet-and-greet at the event.
In Newport Beach, helpers got their hands dirty in the Upper Newport Bay watershed, an important ecosystem where saltwater and freshwater mix to create a unique habitat for wildlife.
Further inland, many events took place as part of the 19th annual Inner Coastal Cleanup event. In Brea, just one of several cleanups planned, volunteers scoured the Brea Creek Channel to clear the watershed of trash.
