International Coastal Cleanup

Global Activism to Protect the World’s Bodies of Water

Written by: Kelsie Stevens Photography by: Reagan Lee and Kelsie Stevens Design by: Kai Sniffin and Korah Robinson

A plastic straw, a food wrapper, a cigarette butt, some water bottle lids and a fork. What do all these have in common? They are some of the most common pieces of trash found by volunteers, including California Baptists University’s Environmental Science Club, during this year’s International Coastal Cleanup.

Alie Minium, freshman environmental science major, hold up the bag of trash she collected at Huntington Beach.

The event is held once a year on Sept. 21 all around the world. Its goal is to encourage people to help stop trash pollution at their local beaches. At California beaches, the California Coastal Commission helped organize the event and arranged specific cleanup spots, one of which was at Huntington Beach, Calif. At this location, volunteers were given resources and materials to help pick up waste from the beaches and parks.

Brad Slater, beach operations crew leader for the City of Huntington Beach, says volunteers are given gloves, bags, grabbers and water to help them pick up the trash around the beach.

“Even though there is no drinking or smoking on the beach, the most common trash found is bottle caps, cigarettes and beer cans,” Slater says.

Slater explains that the cleanup is the “big event” of the year for public workers at Huntington Beach, but for him and his crew it is a nightly routine.

“People do not like to hit the trash cans. Even when they are empty, there is trash right next to them,” Slater says. “Put your trash in the trash cans, even if they are full. There are lots of other ones around.”

Although Slater’s team cleans the beach every night, on coastal cleanup day, they are given a break and volunteers take over. One volunteer group present at the Huntington Beach cleanup was CBU’s Environmental Science Club, which brought about 20 volunteers to help pick up the waste.

Among these volunteers was Madison Santiago, sophomore environmental science major, who says she is passionate about ocean conservation and reducing plastic waste.

Madison Santiago, sophomore environmental science major, walks around Huntington Beach searching for refuse buried in the sand.

“The cleanup spreads awareness. There are a lot of little kids here and educating them is important. Even if they do not pick up a lot of trash, they are being exposed to, ‘Oh, there is plastic here and all these people are helping clean it up — let me do that, too.’”

Santiago says she understands the importance of the Environmental Science Club attending the cleanup.

“If we do not do it, then who else is going to?” she says.

Alongside CBU volunteers were many families trying to make a difference in their community. One mom, Priscilla Cruz, a resident of the Inland Empire, brought her children to the cleanup.

“(My children) are 2, 3 and 5 years old, so they are new to all this,” Cruz says. “They think everyone picks up after themselves, so having them (at the cleanup) is really eye-opening for them because we get to explain how important (being environmentally conscious) is, not only for the planet but for the animals that are around the ocean.”

In participating in the cleanup, volunteers say they hope to invest in the next generation.

“It all starts with them. I want them to understand that volunteering is a great step to making the world a kinder place,” Cruz says.

Another volunteer, Zyanya Rubio, sophomore biology and environmental science double major, says she feels the weight of helping the next generation.

Zyanya Rubio, biology and environmental science double major, holds up her collected bag of trash.

“For future generations, if we do not pick up the trash, they are not going to get to enjoy the beaches like we do because there is going to be a lot of trash and plastic. It is not going to be a safe place for people to come bring their families and enjoy,” Rubio says. “They won’t be able to go swimming in the ocean, they won’t be able to eat the fish in the ocean or go surfing, or anything like that, because it is going to be destroyed and full of plastic. It won’t be safe for anyone.”

Volunteers around the world feel the weight, as well. The Ocean Conservancy, an organization that works to facilitate these events, reported about 23 million pounds of trash was collected worldwide during International Coastal Cleanup day.

Despite all this, many who work in the environmental field want to see the habits of the cleanup become an everyday occurrence.

“It is important (that) every day we make sure we are maintaining our beaches, (keeping them) free of debris, trash and any pollutants that could harm our marine habitat and, of course, ourselves as well,” says Michelle Galvez, City of Huntington Beach environmental specialist and cleanup leader.

Galvez encourages those coming to the beach to not pollute and to pick up after themselves due to the adverse effects caused by trash pollutants. One of the most common effects caused by this physical pollution is the death of marine life that ingest trash or chemicals given off by it.

According to the California Coastal Commission, “Marine debris affects at least 817 species worldwide, including all known sea turtle species and about half of all marine mammal species. More than 80 percent of these impacts were associated with plastic debris.”

This plastic debris was found in overwhelming amounts during the cleanup with more than 45 million plastic pieces picked up, according to the Ocean Conservancy.

Although a great deal of plastic was picked up during the cleanup, the trash has collected over time. Galvez and Slater encourage those who wish to participate in the event to not make it a once a year occurrence.

“Groups and organizations can come in and go down to the lifeguard headquarters and get a permit to come in and clean the beach at any time of the year,” Slater says.

The International Coastal Cleanup is not only a day to pick up trash, but a day to bring awareness to the consistent pollution going into the marine systems every day. Whether it’s at a major cleanup event or just another day at the beach, keeping trash away from the beach and ocean is important to sustaining marine life and the ecosystems within them. ◆