WASHINGTON – Ocean Conservancy is calling for volunteers worldwide to join the 40th annual International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC), the world’s largest beach and waterway cleanup effort, officially slated for September 20, 2025. With plastic pollution at crisis levels, ICC organizers invite everyone who loves the ocean to take action by joining a cleanup in their area.

At last year’s ICC, over 486,000 volunteers collected over 7.4 million pounds of trash globally, including over 1.4 million food wrappers, over 1.2 million beverage bottles, and over 1.2 million cigarette butts. Ocean Conservancy is expecting an even larger turnout in 2025.

“I am so proud to celebrate the International Coastal Cleanup’s last 40 years of impact. Over the years, nearly 19 million volunteers have joined local cleanup efforts to remove over 400 million pounds of trash, equivalent to about 10,000 garbage trucks full of trash removed from beaches and waterways worldwide,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of the International Coastal Cleanup, Allison Schutes. “Every piece of plastic collected makes a tangible difference for our ocean and all the creatures that call it home. When you take part in the International Coastal Cleanup, you are helping to protect marine animals and habitats and contribute to research and advocacy.”

This year’s ICC will feature the following flagship cleanups:

• Kruzof Island, Sitka, AK (August 20)
  • Press release with photos HERE
• Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Miami, FL (September 20)
  • Eventbrite link HERE
• Anacostia Park, Washington, D.C. (September 27) 
  • Eventbrite link HERE

Every year, more than 11 million metric tons of plastic waste are estimated to enter the ocean, impacting more than 1,300 species of marine life, including seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals. Plastics never fully break down in the environment and instead break into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics. Microplastics are being found everywhere scientists look, from the depths of the Mariana trench to mountain tops, and even our dinner plates, showing up in proteins, salt, and even drinking water.

In addition to the direct benefit of removing trash from the environment, the data collected by ICC volunteers using the Clean Swell app or data sheets contributes to Ocean Conservancy’s marine litter database. This database is the world’s largest repository of marine debris data and is used to inform scientists, conservation groups, governments and industry leaders about ocean trash to fuel plastic pollution prevention and advocacy efforts. ICC data was recently used in a peer-reviewed study that shows plastic bag bans lead to reduced plastic bag pollution. Furthermore, ICC data has also been instrumental in spurring policy change, from being used to promote California’s SB 54, the Florida balloon release ban, and the Farewell to Foam Act, to advocating for source reduction in the upcoming plastics treaty.

If you would like to set up an interview with one of Ocean Conservancy’s experts or cover an ICC event near you, please contact Roya Fox at [email protected] or 202.280.6285.

The International Coastal Cleanup media kit with photos, b-roll and data can be found HERE.

You can find a two-pager with toplines from the 2024 ICC data HERE.

You can find the full 2024 ICC report HERE.

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Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.