Ocean Blue Cleanup Volunteers

Beach Cleanup Volunteer Near Me

Help us tackle plastic pollution in our one world ocean and start your own Do-it-yourself (D.I.Y.) cleanup! By yourself or with friends or family, every piece of plastic you recover helps reduce ocean pollution, save wildlife, and protect the health of future generations through a beach cleanup volunteer near me D-I-Y effort!

What’s in the sea mirrors debris that washes from our streets. Whether you live near a coast or the headwaters of the Colorado River, cleaning up your community will help reach our goal to remove one million pounds of plastic from our interconnected One World Ocean by 2025!

Millions of seabirds and marine organisms die after mistakenly ingesting plastic debris in and near the ocean. The good news is that recovering even a few pieces of plastic debris can help save the life of an eagle, a penguin, or a dolphin. Cleaning up more can help save an albatross, a turtle, a sea bass or a whale, and many other species.

D-I-Y cleanup!

Or, to organize a larger group cleanup event, register here:

Cleanup Crew Leaders

Volunteer Beach Cleanup Near Me ~ Do-It-Yourself Small Group Cleanups

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

Know some people that share your passion for preserving our precious ocean? Want to create a fun and educational outing and help make a vast difference in preventing ocean pollution? Gather friends, family or acquaintances for some special bonding time during your own Do-It-Yourself Cleanup event!

Your small group cleanup effort on a beach, shoreline, stream, park, waterway or your own neighborhood helps. We can stop plastic debris from harming marine wildlife, breaking down into tiny microplastics, and hurting human health. Even a spare minute or a few hours of your time is precious. Ocean Blue will make it fun and easy!

Group members, children and teens will learn more about how pollution flows from our own backyards, streets, local creeks, rivers and bays into our drinking water and into our one world ocean, harming our health and marine organisms.

Start up a volunteer beach cleanup near me to gain satisfaction knowing you helped protect wildlife, our water and food sources, and interconnected One World Ocean for future generations!

During the cleanup, make sure to take plenty of pictures, share them with us and spread the word on social media at hashtag #oceanblueproject!

Beach Cleanup Near Me DIY

If you’d prefer to organize a larger group event, register:

Start a Cleanup Crew Event

How Much Plastic is in the Ocean?

The Ocean needs our help more than ever with rising environmental pollution worldwide. Caring for oceanic waters that cover 71% of our planet protects marine wildlife, their habitats, our health and future generations. Here are a few answers to the question – how much plastic is in the ocean?

Plastic in the ocean kills more than a million marine organisms every year
Every day, an estimated eight million pieces of plastic enter the ocean
Every year, more than ten million tons of plastic waste get released into oceanic waters
By the year 2050, the ocean is projected to have more plastic by weight than fish

Let’s stop the damage. The time to act is now!

Do-It-Yourself Solo Cleanups

Even as a party of one, your help makes a difference! You can join an already organized cleanup if you click on the button below. Or simply go out on your own anytime and anywhere you like and clean up whatever debris you can. Ocean pollution begins in our own communities, so every bit of your work will help prevent pollution, and protect marine life and human health.

Join an existing cleanup

If you would like to stick close to home and do your own solo cleanup, you can choose any nearby favorite spot–a park, lakeshore, river bank or stream, or even a city street or parking lot in your own community. Pick up debris once, a few times, or on a regular basis. Imagine the difference it would make if everyone picked up just three pieces of litter per day!

Remember to take selfies and share them with us and on social media #cleanup3forthesea! Here are some ideas to help you brainstorm your plan:

Collect litter when you go on a walk, even if it’s to your car or the bus stop and back
Set a goal for distance, time, or how many pieces of debris to collect
Invite a friend to walk in a scenic area and remove debris
Walk or bike to errands and pick up debris along the way
Set up a Beach Clean-a-thon fundraiser for Ocean Blue!

DIY Solo Cleanup

Ready to Get Started?

Getting started is easy! All you need to start safely cleaning up is:

Decide on a time & place
Register your DIY
Cleanup at the link below
Receive your DIY
Cleanup Guide at the email address provided
Bring a camera or cell phone to take pictures of your cleanup adventures and interesting items you find on the way

Create a Clean-a-Thon

Safety Tips!

We will provide details and instructions on how to get supplies and kick off your cleanup effort. Once you have those supplies, here is a preview of how to proceed:

Safety first! Wear gloves while you pick up and avoid sharp items and know your local beach hazards
Instead of plastic trash bags, use reusable buckets or burlap bags to gather debris
Stay hydrated with reusable bottles!

Get an eco-friendly bottle

Your Work Counts: Share Your Success Helping to Protect Marine Life and Ecosystems

After your cleanup, connect with us virtually and send us your cleanup photos. We want to see your success! Together, we can spread the good word about clean water projects. You can lead by example when you share your photos and comments about your clean up work.

Submit your photos

Join our social media campaigns!

Posting your pictures on social media is a powerful way to reach others who will help us accomplish our mission to remove one million pounds of plastic from the sea by 2025!

Tag @OceanBlueProject and use the hashtags #OceanBlueProject and #Cleanup3fortheSea.

Imagine the collective impact if we all clean up three pieces of debris from the sea every day!
How many days in a row can you collect three pieces of debris?
Post pictures at #oceanblueproject and #cleanup3forthesea, and be sure to tag @OceanBlueProject to have your cleanup reposted!

Get involved through social media

#oceanblueproject

Why Pick Up Plastics and Microplastics?

Look Out for Wildlife

As you explore the cleanup zone, enjoy the nature around you, but try not to disrupt the animals and plants. They're enjoying a beach day too! If you find an injured animal, contact your nearest wildlife agency.

Microplastics occur when the sun breaks down plastic debris into smaller and smaller fragments that never fully biodegrade. Animals often mistake plastics and microplastics for food and can get entangled, injured, gravely sick, or wash ashore. When animals that ingest — but can’t digest — these microplastics are eaten, the plastic moves up the food chain, potentially into our food.

Fighting Pollution Is a Lifestyle

When your cleanup is done, remember, that there are many ways to help fight pollution in your everyday life. If everyone makes small changes, we can make a big difference!
Pick up trash on a regular basis.
Plant trees, shrubs and native plants.
Limit or eliminate use of disposable plastics.
Compost food scraps.
Recycle everything recyclable.
Help promote a circular economy.
Study your plastic consumption for a week, then find alternatives.
Join the #Cleanup3ForTheSea movement!
Start a fun Clean-a-Thon to raise funds for Ocean Blue ocean cleanup efforts!

Ocean Blue Cleanup Volunteers

Beach Cleanup Volunteer Near Me