Those who have cleaned out their garages and attics this spring have another opportunity to do some more spring cleaning “” to help out the environment. That’s because I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) is holding its sixth-annual Creek to Bay Cleanup on Saturday, April 26.
“This event is significant because it involves inland and costal cleanup sites, so that anyone in anywhere in the county can get involved nearby pretty easily,” said ILACSD events and education assistant Natalie Roberts.
The Creek to Bay Cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at 60 sites in five regions countywide. Local cleanup sites include Windansea and La Jolla Shores.
For additional site details and directions, visit www.creek
tobay.org/index.php/cleanup-sites.
Although coastal sites may be more convenient or more attractive to volunteers, Roberts said inland areas that play a large role in ocean pollution need the most help.
“They need the most attention,” Roberts said. “Those [areas] get a lot of urban runoff through the canyons and the creek in them and they have less groups who go out throughout the year to clean up.”
At last year’s event, 3,111 volunteers collected 202,367 pounds of trash and debris from 55 cleanup sites. Roberts said these numbers alone show the significance of the event.
“We had less volunteers but more trash, so it just showed that those hardworking volunteers did a lot last year,” Roberts said. “It was the dirtiest year yet.”
Roberts said ILACSD is hoping for at least 4,000 volunteers at this year’s cleanup. Volunteers’ tasks will be to remove litter from their respective cleanup sites. The necessary supplies will be provided, including bags for recycling and trash, and gloves. Volunteers will also be provided a commemorative event T-shirt and snacks at each site.
Prizes will be awarded at each location to the volunteer that picks up the most trash and the one who finds the most unusual item. Odd finds from last year’s cleanup included a velvet tuxedo in North Park, antlers in National City and a Louis Vuitton bag in Coronado.
Scouts looking to add a merit badge can do so by participating in the cleanup. Those eligible must fill out a badge order form found on the event’s Web site and present it to their site captain to receive their distinction.
Those interested in volunteering in the Creek to Bay Cleanup can visit www.creektobay.org for more information or to find the site nearest them.