SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – Ocean Conservancy invites Los Angeles area residents and visitors to join its flagship west coast International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) event in Santa Monica on Saturday, September 17. The ICC – known in California as California Coastal Cleanup Day – has mobilized more than 17 million volunteers to remove nearly 350 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide since first launching in 1986. In 2019 alone, over 13,000 volunteers collected 28,984 pounds of trash at cleanup events around Los Angeles County.

This year’s Santa Monica event is part of YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober’s viral #TeamSeas campaign, which launched in October 2021 and successfully raised more than 30 million dollars to remove more than 30 million pounds of trash from coastlines and waterways. As the official Beaches and Oceans partner for the campaign, Ocean Conservancy has been partnering with the extensive network of International Coastal Cleanup organizers to help reach the 30-million-pound goal.

“Plastic pollution isn’t going away on its own, and we all have a role to play in protecting our waters. We are thrilled to continue the momentum of #TeamSeas with this year’s International Coastal Cleanup being held around the world, from Santa Monica to the more than 100 countries hosting events,” Sarah Kollar, Outreach Manager, International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).

The cleanup also comes less than three months after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 54, the Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act, into law. Among other measures, the landmark legislation calls for a 25% reduction in plastic packaging and foodware by weight and item count by 2032. Recent analysis of ICC data found that nearly 70% of the most commonly collected items on beaches are effectively unrecyclable, and of these, nearly half are food and beverage related items.

“Data from the International Coastal Cleanup have directly informed Ocean Conservancy’s strategies for tackling ocean plastic and had a huge influence on our work on SB54. Ocean Conservancy estimates that SB54 will eliminate some 23 million tons of plastics over ten years – the very types of items that so often end up on our beaches,” said Dr. Anja Brandon, U.S. Plastics Policy Analyst at Ocean Conservancy and a principal contributor to the SB54 bill text.

NOTE: Volunteers can register on Eventbrite. Cleanup supplies, light breakfast snacks, water and giveaways will be provided for volunteers. Photos from last year’s Santa Monica cleanup can be found HERE.

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Ocean Conservancy has led the fight for a clean, healthy ocean free of trash since 1986, when the U.S.-based nonprofit launched its annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Since then, Ocean Conservancy has mobilized millions of ICC volunteers to remove trash from beaches and waterways around the world while pioneering upstream solutions to the growing ocean plastics crisis. Ocean Conservancy invests in cutting-edge scientific research, implements on-the-ground projects, and works with conservationists, scientists, governments, the private sector and members of the public to change the plastics paradigm. To learn more about our Trash Free Seas® program visit oceanconservancy.org/trashfreeseas.

About Ocean Conservancy

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, 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, Twitter or Instagram.