Take Part in the International Coastal Clean Up Day

On the third Saturday in September, volunteers around the world head to coastal areas for the International Coastal Clean Up (ICC) to help clean up the garbage that poses a major threat to the oceans and wildlife. The ICC started over 35 years ago by Ocean Conservancy, when communities came together to collect and document the litter found on their coastlines. This global event encourages humans to protect the oceans and waterways and to become aware of our impact on the planet.

Surfrider Foundation is an organisation that observes and takes part in the ICC, with volunteers on the East coasts and West coasts of the United States.

Last year, the most commonly found items were all forms of plastic debris. Some of these items included cigarette butts, plastic bottles, food wrappers, bottle caps, and straws. Plastic is widely used because of its durability, light weight, versatility, inexpensive production cost, and because it is more hygienic and takes up less space than other forms of packaging. Unfortunately, plastic is not biodegradable and breaks down into much smaller, microscopic pieces through exposure to weather and the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When these plastics infiltrate the environment, they destroy ecosystems and put wildlife at risk.

Plastics are either dumped directly into the ocean or they are swept into the ocean from coastlines. By getting rid of garbage on the coastlines, we can reduce the amount of garbage that enters the ocean. 

Since 1986, more than 100 million volunteers worldwide have collected over 300 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways. In 2018, over one million volunteers around the world took part in the International Coastal Clean Up Day and together, removed 23 million pounds of trash from coastlines and waterways.

How you can take part

Would you like to be part of a global movement that strives for, and contributes to shaping, a cleaner and healthier planet

You can show your support by gathering a team of family and friends for the event, taking part in a solo beach clean up, or by joining one of Surfrider Foundation’s chapters to connect with others and become a volunteer.

Even if you don’t live near the ocean, you can take part in the ICC by removing garbage from around your local lakes, rivers, ponds and canals, and if you can’t take part this Saturday, save a date in your calendar for another day this month. Every contribution makes a difference!

Make sure to post photos and videos on social media to show how you took part in the International Coastal Clean Up with #InternationalCoastalCleanup!