Volunteer for the county's largest single-day environmental cleanup! Protecting our coast starts at your front door

FAQ

• Q: How can I stay safe?

  By staying in your neighborhood, using face masks and gloves, and limiting groups to household members we can stay safe and prevent tons of litter from entering our creeks, bays and the ocean. Please also remember to follow social distancing guidelines.

• Q: How will we know our impact?

  Did you know Coastal Cleanup Day is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy? An important piece of International Coastal Cleanup Day is collecting detailed data on the litter that you collect – volunteers worldwide report their findings and you can contribute to the global database! After your cleanup, total up each type of litter and weigh the debris you collected and share it with I Love A Clean San Diego.
  NEW for this year’s event, we are excited to launch a Volunteer Impact Map. This map allows volunteers countywide to submit their cleanup route or location and data to create visual and quantitative measurement of the day’s cleanup efforts. A live-time ranking of most commonly reported items will also be a part of this feature based on the data that YOU submit! Registered volunteers will be able to contribute to real time, crowd-sourced data and impact from your cleanups.
  Once registered, volunteers will be sent a link to a detailed form to report back on their cleanup stats, which can be accessed on mobile or desktop. Paper data cards will also be available at Supply & Data Hubs located throughout the county.

• Q: Where should I do my cleanup?

  In your neighborhood. We invite you and your household to get outside, get active, and collect litter close to home. You can walk your block or clean up at an assigned Litter Hotspot nearby. By getting out in your local community to remove trash – virtually together and physically apart – you can support your neighborhood and protect our San Diego watersheds.

• Q: How do I register?

  Registration opens on September 1st. You can create your profile, or log in, on our new CommunityHub! Once registered, you will receive an email including your registration confirmation, cleanup guidelines, recycling tips, data reporting tools, and more! If you have any challenges during the registration process, please contact Jackie Blumenthal at jblumenthal@cleanSD.org or (619) 787-2604 for assistance.

• Q: Can I register as a family or household group?

  Yes! As you register for the cleanup on the Community Hub, you have the option to either add a new Group Name or select a previously registered Group (from a past event with us). If you are registering on behalf of your entire group, you can add your group size and account for them without each individual registering separately. There is also an option to send your Group Name for the cleanup to other members you want to invite into the group you have created or selected. Please remember to form groups from the same household only, and maintain 6 feet distance from other participating neighbors.

• Q: How old do I have to be to volunteer?

  Coastal Cleanup Day is a great event for the whole family. Kids are more than welcome to participate; volunteering at a young age can instill community stewardship for life! For any kids who want to register and do not have an email, please create a group when registering for the cleanup and account for them in your total group number. Kids of all ages (adults, too!) can earn patches after they volunteer by completing the online order form after the cleanup on the Prizes and Patches page. Patches can be requested the Monday following the event!

• Q: How do I prepare?

  To help reduce waste, volunteers are asked to use their own reusable supplies, such as a bucket to collect litter, litter grabbers, gardening or work gloves, face mask, and a full reusable water bottle. If you don’t have any repurposed or reusable supplies at home, there are Supply and Data Hubs throughout the county – request to find one near you after you register. You may want to bring snacks, hand sanitizer, and should wear sturdy closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a cleanup. Hats and sunscreen are highly recommended. Share with your friends to work together – apart! Check out this Supply Guide to get tips for what to bring and things you might already have on hand.

• Q: What do I wear?

  Volunteers should wear face masks, gloves, sturdy closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a cleanup. If you live close to a nearby private canyon, long pants and long-sleeved shirts are suggested. Hats and sunscreen are highly recommended.

• Q: Does this count for community service? What about court ordered service?

  Yes, and yes! You will be able to request Letters of Appreciation for confirmed community service hours through the Community Hub after the cleanup. In order to qualify for letters of appreciation, volunteers must be registered for the event, participate in the cleanup, report their hours on the Community Hub and upload a photo of participation. After the event, please login to your profile on the CommunityHub and complete the Report Hours survey for the event you attended on the dashboard section of your profile.

  If you need a specific form filled out for your community service hours, there is an option in the survey to upload the forms directly. If you are a group leader and are requesting a form on behalf of a group member, there is an option in the survey to input group members’ names who are in need of a Letter of Appreciation. If you need court ordered service hours verified, please follow the same requirements above and email Jackie Blumenthal directly at jblumenthal@cleansd.org with your case number included.

• Q: Can my troop get patches for participating?

  Yes, this is one of four opportunities for which your Troop may receive a patch to complete the whole set! The categories are: Creek to Bay, Coastal Cleanup Day, Volunteer (any of our other volunteer events or programs), and Zero Waste Workshop (attending any of our free Zero Waste Workshops). These events and opportunities, although limited this year, will be available virtually or in smaller groups! The patch order form will be available on the following webpage the Monday after the event. Proof of registration is required and donations are much appreciated.