September is Coastal Cleanup Month
Coastal Cleanup Month is one of the biggest volunteer events in California, and it began right here in Humboldt!
Coastal Cleanup Month (CCM) originated at the Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC) over 45 years ago and has since become an international event. The NEC is Humboldt County’s Coastal Cleanup Coordinator and each year we work with local non-profits, community members, and hundreds of volunteers to pick up thousands of pieces of trash around our community. The cities of Arcata and Eureka have joined in our endeavor by proclaiming September as “Coastal Cleanup Month”. We invite you to support the NEC by becoming a Coastal Cleanup Month Sponsor. Your support helps us fund ongoing volunteer programs and waste reduction efforts, including future Coastal Cleanup events, the Adopt-A-Beach and Block programs, Zero Waste Lending Library, the EcoNews Coastal Column, the Plankton Monitoring Program, and multiple educational programs. Our concerted efforts foster coastal stewardship while training young scientists and environmental enthusiasts in valuable skills for their future.
Help us keep Coastal Cleanup Month thriving by donating or sponsoring today! And join us every weekend in September to help pick up trash, collect valuable data about local trash patterns, and enter for a chance to win a prize!
Join as many cleanups as you can! Click on the location name below for more information about the cleanup event and to join. Registration is not required (except for the kayak cleanup), but it is appreciated to ensure enough supplies are brought to the event for everyone.
Each week you participate in a cleanup event, you can be entered into a raffle to win a locally donated prize!
Coastal Cleanup Month Events:
- Sept 1, 12pm – 3pm – Sequoia Park Picnic – hosted by the Central Labor Council (Labor Day picnic & trash cleanup event!)
- Sept 6, 9am – 1pm – Centerville Beach – hosted by the Wildlands Conservancy (join in the Trashure Hunt!)
- Sept 6, 10am – 12:30pm – Manila Dunes – hosted by Friends of the Dunes
- Sept 6, 11:20am – 3pm – Wigi (Humboldt) Bay Kayak Cleanup – two groups hosted by Humboldt Waterkeeper & Explore North Coast – Registration Required (both groups are FULL)
- Sept 6, 12pm – 2pm – King Salmon Beach – hosted by Hawkes Helpers!
- Sept 13, 9am – 12:30pm – Scenic Drive Sites – hosted by the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
- Sept 13, 9:30am – 12pm – Mal Coombs Park, Shelter Cove – hosted by the Friends of the Lost Coast
- Sept 20, 9am – 12pm – North Jetty Samoa Dunes – hosted by Surfrider Humboldt
- Sept 20, 9am – 11am – Samoa Power Poles to Fairhaven – hosted by Redwood Community Action Agency & the Peninsula Community Alliance
- Sept 20, 9am – 12pm – Humboldt Bay Trail North – hosted by Critical Mass Arcata
- Sept 27, 10am -1pm – Freshwater Beach – hosted by Redwood National & State Parks
- Sept 27, 11am – 2pm – Arcata Marsh – hosted by the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
- Sept 27, 11am – 2pm – NEC Block – hosted by the Northcoast Environmental Center
Helpful Links:
- 2025 Online Volunteer Waiver form – English
- 2025 Online Volunteer Waiver form – Spanish
- Safe Cleanups Guide
- Best Trash-Picking Spots Guide
- Marine Debris ID Guide
- Trash Data Collection Form
- Free cleanup supply rentals
- Marine Debris Tracker App
- Clean Swell app for trash data collection
- Ocean Conservancy TIDES (Trash Information and Data for Education and Solutions)
About
Help us celebrate over 45 years of coastal stewardship on the North coast by participating in Coastal Cleanup Month 2025! What was once a one-day event has been expanded to include cleanups every weekend in September, so you have more opportunities than ever to join with friends and family to make a difference for the environment. This month-long event will feature citizen science data collection and weekly prize raffles for participants!
Click here to learn more about the history of Coastal Cleanup Month.
Become a Site Captain
Site captains host a cleanup site that community members can sign up to attend, and are responsible for welcoming volunteers, distributing supplies, and coordinating logistics with the CCM coordinator at the NEC. We have a list of locations that you can choose from, or you can select your own. Cleanup sites don’t have to be on the beach, and you are welcome to choose a favorite park, trail, street, or other location in need of some TLC.
Citizen Science and Data Collection
Citizen science is a very important part of Coastal Programs at the NEC, and Zero Waste Coastal Cleanup Month is a perfect opportunity to collect data about the trash we see on our streets and beaches. Our Coastal Program’s staff and volunteers track marine and neighborhood debris to find local waste patterns (what kind of trash is being found and where) so we can advocate for waste reduction solutions in our community. See the data collection guide below to find how you can become a citizen scientist and contribute to a world wide marine debris database!
As you are doing your cleanup consider being a trash detective and asking yourself these questions: How did the debris you found make its way to the street? Where is it coming from? What items are you finding most? What is the difference between trash in multiple areas?
Citizen Science Resources:
- Data Collection Tutorial
- NEC’s Trash Data Card
- Marine Debris Identification Guide
- NatGeo MapMaker Interactive
Volunteer Prizes
We are so appreciative of our Coastal Cleanup Month volunteers that we’re offering a chance for participants to win prizes! Every volunteer who signs in at a cleanup will be entered into a weekly raffle where they can win fun prizes. One cleanup = one raffle entry, so if you attend multiple cleanups in one week you can increase your odds of winning! Follow the NEC on Facebook or Instagram to learn about the weekly prizes being offered.
Safety
Masks will not be required at Coastal Cleanup Month cleanups, though our guidance may change depending on COVID-19 infection rates. You can keep up to date by following us on social media or checking this web page. If you are uncomfortable gathering in large groups for your cleanup, we encourage you to participate with your family or friends in your own neighborhood, local park, or trail. Another safety concern this time of year is air quality. If air quality rises above 100 AQI (orange level), we will ask volunteers to stay at home and participate only when it is safe to do so. Cleanup supplies (including medical sharps containers) will be available to check out for free through the NEC’s Lending Library. For more tips on how to conduct a safe and successful cleanup, check out our Safe Cleanups Guide.
Support Coastal Cleanup Month
Here at the NEC we work on a shoestring budget and succeed only with determination, devotion, and aid from great volunteers and donors. For over 50 years, the NEC has served as a vital hub for information and programs that involve, inform, and inspire residents with regard to environmental issues that matter most on California’s North Coast. Help us at the NEC continue our work by becoming a sponsor for Coastal Cleanup Month 2025.
Coastal Cleanup Month Sponsorship Benefits
- Snowy Plover Sponsor: $50 to $500 and in-kind donations
- EcoNews recognition: Name or logo in the November issue of EcoNews thanking you for donating.
- Social media recognition: Name or logo on our Facebook and Instagram pages thanking you for donating.
- Website Recognition: Name or logo on the NEC Coastal Cleanup Month website page for one year.
- Gray Whale Sponsor: Donations Greater than $500
- All benefits of the Plover sponsor level
- EcoNews Rep: Three free personalized sponsorship thank you’s in our monthly EcoNews publication.
- Posters: Name or logo on posters placed at key locations throughout the county (Sponsorship must be received by August 14th).
- Sticker: A locally-printed Coastal Cleanup Month sticker with artwork by a local artist!
Visit our donation page to become a sponsor! Feel free to email our Advocacy Co-Director with any questions or to coordinate your sponsorship benefits at advocacy@yournec.org
Have Questions?
Email our Advocacy Co-Director at advocacy@yournec.org
