Join a Coastal Community Cleanup Event
Want to help care for your local community, harbor, waterways, and marine life? Partner with a local community organization and help keep litter on the shore from entering the water and becoming marine debris. We promote, encourage, and facilitate proactive partnerships between community groups, volunteers, harbors, and solid waste facilities to keep our harbors healthy and clean.
Our goal is to provide a central location for volunteers and organizations to find, promote, and participate in cleanup events. Whether you are a resident in a coastal community, spend summers as a seasonal worker, or visit as a tourist, you can play an active role in giving back to Alaska’s marine environment. By using the Clean Swell data collection app, data from each cleanup goes directly to the Ocean Conservancy, and feeds into the largest marine debris database. This data is used to understand the scale and types of marine debris affecting different areas, research and implement solutions, and advocate for community funding. Participating in a cleanup is one of the most effective ways you can actively contribute to a cleaner ocean.
Want to lead a community cleanup event?
Community groups and volunteers can generally expect the following:
Cleanup events generally coincide with the end of Spring (April-May) and/or the start of Fall (September-October). If your harbor will take place on harbor property, it is essential to coordinate your cleanup/get permission from the harbormaster ahead of time and plan around snow cover/harbor traffic to ensure a successful cleanup.
Part of the planning process is determining where to put the garbage you generate, in coordination with the harbormaster and local solid waste departments. If possible, encourage volunteers to separate recyclable items based on what is accepted in the community. Alaska Clean Harbors or our community partners can help facilitate these working relationships if you are unsure who to talk to.
During the cleanup, designate a person to fill out data cards or enter data into Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell App on the types of litter you encounter. Weigh the trash using a scale with a hook scale or stepping on and off a standard scale while holding the trash bag and removing your weight from the total. If you don’t have a scale, estimate 15 pounds per bag. This data helps convey the scale of marine debris to policy makers and the public and identify the most common waste types.
Make sure to document your cleanup with lots of good photos and videos - cleanups are contagious and sharing your hard work is the easiest way to get more people involved.
Grant Funding is sometimes available for larger or more remote cleanups. The more we are able to collectively bring awareness to the issue of marine debris and demonstrate the importance of cleaning it up for our communities, the easier it will be to advocate for funding solutions.
For guidance, consult the Ocean Conservancy’s Cleanup Toolkit for shore based cleanups or Watercraft and Marina Cleanup Toolkit for boat/harbor based cleanups.
Finally, let us know about your cleanup so we can promote it and connect you with organizational partners which can support your efforts and publicize the event to attract volunteers!
Need Support?
With help from our partners, Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling (ALPAR) and the Ocean Conservancy, volunteers can often get access to the following resources to help run a community cleanup event:
Safety vests, gloves, yellow plastic collection bags, and data cards for gathering garbage through partnerships with ALPAR and the Ocean Conservancy.
Support in gaining cooperation from local landfills or harbors to receive garbage generated during the cleanup free of charge.
Public recognition and promotion of your cleanup on our social media and webpage.
Support and guidance to help plan and organize an event - if you aren’t already affiliated with a group, but want to start a cleanup, we can help connect you to resources and community members that will help.
Find a Local Organization to Work With
Looking to connect with a municipality or an organization spearheading cleanups in a community you care about? Use the following map to make it happen.
Whether you live in a coastal community or are just passing through, participating in a cleanup event is a great way to make friends, give back, and make a tangible difference in reducing marine debris and plastic pollution.
