Register for Berkeley’s Coastal Cleanup Day on September 23

Join City staff, community groups, and volunteers from around Berkeley to help clean up trash and plastic pollution along various areas of the waterfront and Aquatic Park on Saturday, September 23 during Coastal Cleanup Day.

The clean-up activities in Berkeley will take place from 9am-12pm. They are part of a statewide effort to clean up local beaches, bays, and waterways.

You can pre-register online as an individual or group, or register in person on the day of the event. All participants must fill out a waiver; youth under 18 must have a waiver completed by their legal guardian.

Come early to get briefed, bring your own supplies, collect data

If you're interested, register online or at the event. Meet at:

You'll receive a safety talk and supplies. Parking is limited, so explore biking using our bike boulevards, carpool, or public transportation (AC Transit, bus 51B).

Return to the Shorebird Park staging area by 12:00 pm, when we’ll have a contest for the “most unusual item.” Last year’s winner was a framed black and white photograph of a Jack Russell terrier.

To help reduce plastic waste please bring your own supplies:

• a bucket or reusable bag
• a lightweight pair of gardening gloves
• a filled, reusable water bottle

If you are unable to bring your own, buckets, bags, and gloves will be available for volunteers.

Volunteers will collect trash and log it with the Clean Swell App or data cards. This will help compile data for one of the largest research efforts in the world.

One-day action, daily habits help clean the coast

As you help collect trash, you will get a better understanding of how pollution affects our coast and waterways.

Over the past three decades, over 1.5 million volunteers have removed over 25 million pounds of trash. In 2020, more than 19,730 volunteers picked up more than 182,000 pounds of trash from California beaches and waterways.

Each of us can make a difference every day by reducing waste. The top 10 trash items at cleanups are "single-use" items, like cigarettes, food wrappers, and lid caps. To reduce flooding and keep waste out of our waterways, you can also adopt your neighborhood storm drain to clear it of debris before and after a storm.

This event is just one of a variety organized throughout the year by the City's Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department, which offers dozens of camps, classes, and other activities for people of all ages and backgrounds. Get a glimpse of the Recreation Division's offerings through our online registration portal.

Unable to make the Sept 23 event? Find other Berkeley-specific clean-up days on our event calendar.

Register yourself, spread the word to others, and help make this our most successful Coastal Cleanup Day yet!

Links

• Online registration for Coastal Cleanup
• City of Berkeley Nature Center
• California Coastal Commission
• Clean Swell App
• Volunteering with the City of Berkeley
• Adopt a Drain