Did you know you can enjoy a beach day while making a difference? Everyone needs beach days, with just the sand, sun, glimmering water, and relaxing waves, life is good. Unfortunately sometimes lying in the sand doesn’t always feel impactful enough. Periodically, beach cleanups are the way to go! Enjoy the coast while maintaining its health.
Picking up trash is a popular approach to helping the ocean. People enjoy seeing the progress they have made and all the waste found that will no longer go into the ocean and affect marine life. Although picking up trash may not sound like a glamorous day, the process can be fun and rewarding. It is gratifying to know and see a difference being made.
Beach cleanups are a fantastic way to meet new people and spend time with friends and family who also enjoy the beach. People are the reason beach cleanups are such a blast! Working together to clean the beach is an incredible bonding activity.
There are oodles of organizations that host weekend cleanups regularly, including Surfrider, the Pacific Beach Coalition, and sometimes MSI. But don’t let that stop you from starting your own beach cleanup. Be sure to first make sure it is approved at that beach and that you have a waste disposal plan.
What you need:
- Group of friends/family
- Buckets
- Gloves (gardening gloves ideally)
- Water bottle
- First-aid kit
- Hand sanitizer
- A beach to clean
A few safety tips:
- Wear close-toed shoes
- Be aware of cliffs and rocky areas
- For sharp items bring hard plastic containers with screw on caps
- Leave wildlife and other natural beach inhabitants on the beach
It’s amazing the little treasures you can find while picking up trash! Let us know what you find!
Resources:
“Blue Ocean Society Beach Cleanup Guidelines and Responsibilities for Volunteers.” Blue Ocean Society, http://www.blueoceansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/BOS-Beach-Cleanup-Guidelines.pdf.
“Before the Cleanup.” Ocean Conservancy, https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/start-a-cleanup/before-the-cleanup/.
