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Long Beach Volunteers Clean Up 13,000 Pounds of Trash from Coastline
By Staff Writer
Published on Wed, Sep 30, 2026
During the 42nd Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, more than 1,000 volunteers came together across Long Beach to remove more than 13,000 pounds of trash from the city’s coastline in just three hours. On Sept. 19, volunteers gathered at nine locations to help keep Long Beach’s beaches, waterways and marinas clean, healthy and thriving.
Long Beach has long participated in California Coastal Cleanup Day, and this year the City expanded opportunities for the community to get involved. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine added five new cleanup locations along the coastline and interior beaches, doubling the number of cleanup sites offered compared to last year.
The expanded effort also helped connect environmental stewardship with Long Beach’s preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. At Alamitos Beach, which will host Olympic Beach Volleyball and Paralympic Blind Football in 2028, the City partnered with Ocean Conservancy for a special activation featuring USA Artistic Swimming athletes. The event highlighted the importance of caring for Long Beach’s coastline while building a lasting Games legacy and encouraging residents to play a role in preparing the community for 2028 and beyond.
This year’s cleanup was especially meaningful as California celebrates the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act, a landmark legislation that established the California Coastal Commission and helped shape the protection and use of the state’s 1,100-mile coastline. The Coastal Act emphasizes public access, protection of marine habitats and responsible development within the legally defined Coastal Zone.
Together, the thousands of volunteers who showed up for Coastal Cleanup Day demonstrated how community action can make an immediate difference. Their efforts not only helped protect Long Beach’s coastline today, but also contributed to a cleaner, healthier and more resilient coast for future generations.
