Image source: Clean Water Now

Come one, come all. Next Saturday is the annual California Coastal Beach Cleanup and you're invited! People all across California will be participating in restoring beaches all at the same time, next Saturday September 20, from 9am-12pm. Communities will hold beach cleanups but also pass out information on feel-good stuff like recycling, as well as host contests and beach-goers will be serenaded by musicians.

Last year, over 60,000 people participated in the event and removed 900,000 pounds of trash from beaches all over the state of California. The event is so large it has even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the "largest garbage collection." Since the program began in 1985, collectively over 12 MILLION pounds of garbage have been removed from beaches. Come out and see whether you can find the "weirdest" thing on the beach in your community - who knows what you'll find.

San Diego Coastkeeper reports that 80% of litter in the ocean is plastic, which takes over 1,000 years to photodegrade. If you've ever done a beach cleanup, you probably know that cigarettes and styrofoam are what you will pick up far and above anything else on the beach. While this is just one day a year, the beaches, seagulls and sea turtles will thank you for getting up early on a Saturday and lending a hand.

To find a cleanup near you, checkout the county cleanup pages for more specific location information. This event is the kickoff for CoastWeeks, which is three weeks worth of coastal appreciation events all over California.

:California Coastal Cleanup Day

More on Beach Cleanups
Great Ideas: Beach Cleanup
TH Forums: Southern California Beach Cleanups
Most Huggable: The Buzz on Beach Cleanup

Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:

• Countries Falling Behind As World's Oceans Are Still "Vastly Under-Protected": Study
• California Coughing Up $28 Billion a Year in Pollution Costs
• Act Locally: Create A Blue Trail
• PacifiCorp To Remove Four Dams On Klamath River In California & Oregon.

Win a Scholarship, Blow an Eco-Bubble, and How to Reuse a Shower Curtain

FDA Discovers Lead in Women's, Children's Vitamins