Once again, San Mateo County residents came out by the thousands to clean up trash around the county on Coastal Cleanup Day, which took place Saturday, September 19. Residents on both the coast and bayside of the county slogged through sand, waded through mud, and climbed hillsides with buckets and bags, trash pickers and gloves, and a whole lot of spirit. Young and old participated as groups of friends and families turned out to make a difference in three short hours on the hot and sunny day.
Together, volunteers gathered an estimated 27,000 pounds of trash and over 3,700 pounds of recyclables from roadways, beaches, fields, and mud flats. Approximately 61 miles of total shoreline was cleaned by an estimated 4,165 volunteers at over 53 sites. Volunteers even found a lizard trapped in a crushed beer can!!! Check out some of the images taken from around San Mateo County on Coastal Cleanup Day below. Each year, this event shows how much of an impact we can make in our community by working together with so many different people throughout the County. Because of volunteers working together, nearly 320,000 pounds of trash has been picked up since 2005! To those volunteers reading this, thank you thank you thank you!!!
If you were not able to make it out this year, you can still make a difference. Coastal Cleanup Day is always the 3rd Saturday in September each year, so it is easy to mark your calendar now and plan for years to come. In addition, regular cleanups take place throughout the year all around the county.
Remember, if everyone does a little bit, together we can accomplish a lot!!
Excerpt provided by San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program, click here to see their blog.
Go to www.flowstobay.org/litter to find out about other cleanups, or sign up to receive their monthly calendar of events
that includes cleanups and other watershed activities like hikes, habitat restoration, and wildlife observation.
Corporate and individual volunteer opportunities are always available. To learn more please visit our webpage at www.sfbaymsi.org or contact the Community Outreach Coordinator at 650-364-2760 X16 or by email volunteer@sfbaymsi.org
This article was featured in our BayLines Winter Edition 2015-2016.
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