Every September, evening temperatures begin to chill, high school football games kick off, pumpkins sprout in farm fields and tens of thousands of people flock to California’s beaches, lakes, rivers and streams to pick up litter as part of the state’s largest annual volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day.
The goal is to beautify the environment and reduce trash, which can harm fish, birds, sea lions, dolphins and other wildlife. This year’s cleanup, which took place Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, was the 40th anniversary of the event. The organization planned 761 cleanup sites around Bay Area and the state.
To participate next year, or for more information about the event, go to coastalcleanupday.org
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Volunteers Phucharin Chansiri, left, Tegen Pukdeed, and Yilin Toto, all 12, of Kensington, pick up trash during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. About 114 volunteers registered in the first couple of hours, but in the past, 200 people have participated, says Jessica Sloan, volunteer program supervisor for East Bay Regional Park District. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Russell Kiskamp of Santa Clara volunteers in the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup day, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, picking up trash in the sand dunes at Scott Beach County Park near Davenport. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Volunteers Amornrit Pukdeed, left, and Phucharin Chansiri, 12, of Kensington, pick up trash during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Sue Laughlin of Santa Cruz carries trash collected at Scott Beach County Park in Davenport during the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup, Saturday. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Volunteers Shane Pake, left, Erika Schwilk, Kaden, 11, Stefan, 9, and their dog Pancho, from El Cerrito, pick up trash during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
A discarded statue is among the items collected at Waddell State Beach north of Davenport during the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup day (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Volunteers pick up trash during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Scott Councilman (center), Coastal Cleanup site captain at Scott Beach County Park in Davenport, helps Sue and Dave Laughlin of Santa Cruz weigh the trash they collected Saturday. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Volunteer Daniel Rudd of Berkeley, walks with a bag of trash he picked up during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Sue Laughlin of Santa Cruz keeps track of the trash she collects at Scott Beach County Park in Davenport during the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup day on Saturday. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
A dog gets in the water as volunteers Erika Schwilk, left, Stefan, 9, Kaden, 11, and Shane Pake, all from El Cerrito, pick up trash during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Matt Freeman, president of the Santa Cruz Longboard Union, volunteers in the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup day, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, picking up discarded items at Waddell State Beach north of Davenport, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Sue Laughlin of Santa Cruz picks up a discarded corn husk at Scott Beach County Park in Davenport during the 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Volunteer Daniel Rudd of Berkeley shows a piece of styrofoam, among other trash objects, he picked up during the 40th annual Coastal Cleanup event at Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Albany on Saturday. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)