Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup

Every piece of litter cleaned from our shores is one less in the ocean. Ocean Wise has galvanized 1 million people for shoreline cleanups, join us and be a part of something positive for our ocean!

 

5 Step Guide to

Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup

Overview


Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup "Welcome to Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup! Leading or joining a shoreline cleanup is a simple and tangible way for you to meaningfully contribute to ocean conservation! Browse our existing cleanups for opportunities to join a group or lead a cleanup with your family, peers or the public. Your efforts, whether individual or collective, have a ripple effect in your community and leave a lasting impact on waterways and shorelines! On top of all this, by participating in a Shoreline Cleanup you’re contributing important litter data that may be used to inform decision making, advance environmental policies and amplify the impact of your efforts on the environment! " - Kaitlyn Harris, Manager, Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup

5 Steps

Who? Someone who...

Resource Checklist

Time

No cleanup is too small! You'll need to spend some time gathering materials (buckets, gloves, grab sticks, and a scale) but after that, any time removing plastic pollution from its path to the ocean is time well spent!


Step one is to register your cleanup event on our website at app.ocean.org/app/oceanwise. By doing so, you can access all the necessary tools and resources to organize a successful shoreline cleanup.

Create an account on Ocean Wise at app.ocean.org.


Log In to app.ocean.org, once you are logged in, select Shoreline Cleanup to jump into our program.

Once you are logged in, select the Lead/Join button located on the left menu.

Here, you will be able to enter your preferred cleanup date and city/town, and choose from available nearby cleanup sites. Click "Lead this Cleanup" when you find a good place!

Don’t see the location you are looking for?

Suggest a new location! A pop-up window will appear asking for the necessary details to suggest a new location. 


Start asking around for interest in joining your cleanup!

Tips:

  • Reach out to your local municipality to confirm that you have permission to clean your site! Sometimes you need a permit to access public lands and spaces. 
  • Reach out to local organizations already doing shoreline cleanups in your area! It's a great way to get volunteers out for your cleanup, engage with the community, and sometimes even recieve supplies and day-of trash disposal support. 

During the event, be sure to have the online data card open from app.ocean.org. That way, you can record the type and weight of the litter you clean up, adding to our database for conservation advocacy.

List of items you will need:

  • Scales (to record the weight of the litter you clean up)
  • Gloves 
  • Buckets 
  • Water
  • Litter pickers (optional)

Don't forget to claim additional impact for the ocean! Data collected by your participants is crucial to our citizen science program and is used to inform plastic policy! We strongly recommend tallying up the litter you collect as you walk along the shoreline rather than waiting until the end of the cleanup to sort and count everything. 

During the cleanup, record your litter types and weights with your Ocean Wise Cleanup Data Card at app.ocean.org

At the end of the data card is the button to Submit Your Data!


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