Cleanups To Date

Join Pitch In, Waste Free Santa Cruz and others...
Take the Plastic Free July Pledge

Start by bringing your own cup! Avoid Plastic Bottles, Stop using plastic food wrap.

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Mark your Calendar for May 9th, 2026 for the Third Annual Pitch In All County Cleanup Day. Working together We Can Make Santa Cruz the Cleanest County in the State.

Opportunities to participate will be updated here on a regular basis.

Upcoming Cleanups

  • “Dirtiest Beach Day” — July 5th Cleanup
    The day after the Fourth of July has earned the nickname “the dirtiest beach day of the year”. Join Surfrider Volunteers!
    • Date: Saturday, July 5th
    • Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
    • Location: Main Beach (near the volleyball courts)
    • Click here to sign up now
  • Join Save Our Shores cleanups
    • Holiday Cleanup @ Cowell & Main Beach (July 5 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered parking is limited, so please plan accordingly.
    • Holiday Cleanup @ Corcoran Lagoon Beach (July 5 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Corcoran Lagoon Beach 20th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the end of 20th Ave near the top of the stairs to the beach.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: There are no restrooms available, and no drinking fountains on site. Parking is limited, so please plan accordingly. Please note this location is not wheelchair accessible, there are stairs and large rocks down to the beach.
  • Join Coastal Watershed Council!
    • River Health Day (July 12 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm)
      Generally, we will meet on the east riverbank between the Laurel Street bridge and the Branciforte Creek pedestrian bridge. Sometimes we will meet near Mike Fox Skate Park. Free parking is available in the CWC parking lot at 107 Dakota Ave. Paid parking is also available on Dakota Avenue or across the river in downtown Santa Cruz. The closest parking garage is at 601 Front Street. Please RSVP below to receive up-to-date location information. Call (831) 464 9200 x104, or email CWC River Ecologist Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy with any questions before the event. RSVP for this and other River Health Day events!
    • San Lorenzo Park Neighbors (September 13 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm)
      Meet at the duck pond at 10:30 am to join in!
      Join the San Lorenzo Park Neighbors and the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department for a morning of volunteer service to beautify San Lorenzo Park, followed by a concert! Make a difference by picking up trash in the park, and help with special projects that may include painting, sanding benches, planting, weeding, raking, and or pruning. Tools will be provided for volunteers, as well as water and coffee. Meet at the duck pond at 10:30 am to join in! Email us with questions at sanlorenzoparkneighbors@gmail.com.
  • Join Grant Park Neighbors for community cleanups and fun!
    • Saturday, August 23, 2025
    • Saturday, September 20, 2025
    • Saturday, October 11, 2025
    • For more information, please visit grantparkneighbors.org

Cleanups Accomplished

Lee Road & West Beach Street Cleanup

September 28, 2023

On Thursday the 28th of September, members of the City of Watsonville, The County of Santa Cruz, The Trash Talkers, Watsonville Wetlands Watch, and Watsonville Works came together to clean up over three miles of Lee Road and West Beach Street.

The cleanup effort lasted three and a half hours and cleaned up over 8 yards of garbage and debris. Special Thanks to John Moreno from the City of Watsonville Ramon Gomez from Supervisor Filipe Hernandez’s office, Sally-Christine Rodgers of the Trash Talkers, Jonathan Pilch of Watsonville Wetlands Watch, and the teams from Watsonville Works for their participation.

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Multiple hypodermic needles were collected. These are harmful to wild life, are in our watersheds and washing into our National Marine Sanctuary.
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Bob Culbertson of Watsonville Wetlands Watch, Josh Castillo from the City of Watsonville and Ramon Gomez from Supervisor Hernandez’s office gather trash.
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Watsonville Works Teams assist in cleanup efforts in South County.
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This is the kind of thoughtless illegal dumping that is destroying our land and significantly costing taxpayers and our cities to clean up.
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