Celebrate Earth Month with San Francisco Baykeeper in our annual Clean Bay Challenge!
Clean Bay Challenge volunteers conduct individual or household cleanups to stop trash before it reaches the Bay. Baykeeper will provide all the guidance you need to conduct a cleanup in your neighborhood, local park, or shoreline.
Volunteers are needed to pitch in anywhere around the Bay Area to help protect San Francisco Bay from trash. Take action today for a healthy San Francisco Bay!
Join the Challenge
Step 1. Sign up here for the Clean Bay Challenge. Registration is free!
Step 2. Conduct your individual or household cleanup. See below for instructions, safety guidelines, and location options.
Step 3. Tell us about your cleanup. The data you submit supports out long-term advocacy to stop trash in San Francisco Bay. Fill out our trash reporting form, and post on Instagram or Facebook using the tag #trashfreebay
Questions? Email us at events@baykeeper.org
How to Organize Your Trash Cleanup
1. Who: You! You'll organize your cleanup at your own time and place, using our guidelines below. Of course, bring along friends and family to join in!
2. Where: Choose a Bay shoreline, beach, creek, park, storm drain, or city street near you. (Make sure your cleanup location is open to the public and safe to access.)
3. Why: Trash and plastic waste is a serious pollution threat to San Francisco Bay.
4. What to plan for your cleanup gear:
- Gloves
- Hand sanitizer
- Trash grabber or tongs
- Sturdy trash bags
- Snacks and plenty of water, as well as sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat
- Sturdy close-toed shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty
5. Safety measures:
- Wear gloves
- Don't pick up syringes or other sharp objects, dead animals, or human waste
- Separate hazardous waste like batteries and paint, and take them to a hazardous waste drop-off center
- After the cleanup, dispose of or wash your gloves, and thoroughly wash your hands
6. Additional tips:
- Leave no trace. Since you're organizing your own cleanup, you'll be responsible for disposing of the trash you collect. Don't overfill public trash bins, and plan ahead to bring trash home with you to dispose of at your residence.
- Below is a map of addiitonal possible cleanup locations. Confirm that your chosen site is currently open to the public before heading out.
- Looking to organize a group cleanup of more than 10 people at a public park? Be sure to check requirements for group activities and contact park officials in advance for approval.
- If you have questions, please email events@baykeeper.org.
Thank you to our Clean Bay Challenge sponsors:
Photo by Daniel Parks, Flickr/CC