Leave No Trace: 300 Pounds of Trash Removed During River Clean Up

Thanks to everyone who came out to volunteer with us at our annual river cleanup along the North Fork Tuolumne River as part of the Great Sierra River Cleanup (GSRC). This year we had 35 volunteers join us (including 24 first-time volunteers!) and we collected 300 pounds of trash including a few tires and a couch. Thanks for showing up for your river!

History of Coastal Cleanup Day

The idea for a statewide cleanup was started by Oregon resident Judy Neilson in 1984. Judy organized the “Plague of Plastics” event in October of that year due to rising concerns over the amount of plastic debris along the coast. In 1985, California emulated those efforts and created the California Coastal Cleanup Day, led by the Coastal Cleanup Commission.

In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized, with 50,405 volunteers. Since then, the reach of Coastal Cleanup Day has spread inland, as most of the marine debris that we find on our beaches actually starts as urban trash or street litter.

For more information on California Coastal Cleanup Day, visit the Coastal Cleanup Commission’s page.