WASHINGTON – Ocean Conservancy is calling for volunteers in the Washington, D.C. area to join the 40th annual International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) at Anacostia Park on Saturday, September 27, 2025.  Ocean Conservancy’s ICC is the largest beach and waterway cleanup effort in the world, with cleanups happening in over 100 counties.

“I am so proud to celebrate the International Coastal Cleanup’s last 40 years of impact,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Conservation Cleanups, 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.”

Plastic pollution can travel many miles down rivers, so inland waterway cleanups like this one impact ocean health. Since 1986, nearly 19 million volunteers have joined local cleanup efforts to remove over 400 million pounds of trash, equivalent to over 27,000 pounds per day for 40 years.

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 paper data sheets contribute 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 were recently used in a peer-reviewed study that shows plastic bag bans lead to reduced plastic bag pollution. ICC data have also been instrumental in spurring policy change–from being used to promote California’s SB 54, to the Florida balloon release ban, to the Farewell to Foam Act.

Members of the press can RSVP for the ICC in Washington, D.C. or set up an interview with a local expert by contacting 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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ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY   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.