Coastal Cleanup Day Will Revive Local Environment, Provide Data for Legislation
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The annual Coastal Cleanup Day – Saturday September 20th – will not only spruce up beaches, but also provide data that is used for legislation in Sacramento.
Volunteers are signing up through groups including Explore Ecology in Santa Barbara.
Cleanup efforts can be done by an individual or with a team.
Jill Cloutier with Explore Ecology said when the items are gathered up, “that gets reported to the state and is used to shape policy, like the smoking on public beaches ban and the plastic bag ban. ” Plastic bags are no longer on the top ten list. ‘Plastic pieces, cigarette butts, foam and then take out containers so plastic is very prevalent.”
The area for the Santa Barbara cleanup teams will be from the Rincon to Jalama Beach.
They will also fan out to parks and creeks that have an impact on waterways to the ocean.
Tons of trash is picked up annually. In 2024 Santa Barbara area volunteers came back in with 5,299 pounds of trash and covered 87 miles.
At Leadbetter Beach Tuesday, some members of the public said, they’ve made a commitment to pack out what they pack in or clean up around their area. “We make it a point to take only pictures and leave only foot prints. I will tell you what I am grateful for all the trash cans, they are usually emptied and well maintained it makes it easy,” said Jeff Wietes.
It is part of the lifestyle for many people these days. Barry Fay said, “I always recycle stuff. I do all the good Santa Barbara things. I don’t think it has been that much worse, maybe a little, but not terrible it’s way better than other places because Santa Barbara has a way of dealing with things. “.
A UC Santa Barbara environmental sciences student is on board with Explore Ecology and comes here with an environmental focus from her Bay area home. Celeste DeLucchi said, “it’s been awesome to be able to come from a place that cares so much about the environment and come here to a place that also cares about the environment and makes sure our oceans are protected and clean. “
You can sign up through Explore Ecology for clean up teams on Coastal Clean Up Day from the Rincon to Jalama Beach. There will also be other active sites throughout the tri counties if that is where you will be Saturday.
Each site will have a coordinator and equipment for your cleanup work. You can also be part of a raffle when you return with your trash haul. At one site a special treasure chest will hidden and have a grand prize inside for the person who finds it.
Santa Barbara County Coastal Cleanup Day is coordinated by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, with support from the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang.
Explore Ecology says it is an environmental education nonprofit located in Santa Barbara, California. We work with over 35,000 children a year with a focus on Watershed Education, School Gardens, Waste Reduction, and Creative Exploration.
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