For over a decade, Gruen Associates has volunteered and participated in the International Coastal Cleanup Day Event, sponsored locally by Heal the Bay (https://healthebay.org/). In addition to removing trash and debris from the shoreline, this event is an opportunity to educate the public on where trash comes from and where it ends up. The data collected is used to pass legislation such as the plastic bag ban and other waste reduction measures.
On September 17th, Gruen Associates gathered our staff and consultants at Will Rogers State Beach to make this 38th annual beach cleanup a success! We would like to thank those who helped us through organizing/volunteering/participating and otherwise supporting this incredible event. These events not only help us capture huge amounts of trash before it enters the ocean, but it also brings us together to celebrate our precious waterways and coastal resources as a community.
With 60% of the cleanup sites reporting, the statewide count stands at 27,185 volunteers. Those volunteers picked up 220,861 pounds of trash and an additional 29,702 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 250,563 pounds or 125 tons. We had approximately 250 volunteers at Gruen Associates’ site who picked up over 202 pounds of trash.
