Each month, our chapter hosts multiple beach cleanups across Ventura County, providing real solutions to the trash pollution issue facing our coastlines. Our volunteers collect data at our cleanups that keep us informed on the types of trash posing the highest threat to the marine environment (spoiler alert: it’s still plastic).
-1.jpg?width=5339&height=4474&name=MichaelaRabinov-SurfriderVC-37%20(1)-1.jpg)
Surfrider volunteers at one of our Ormond Cleanups in 2024.
Photo credits: Michaela Rabinov
For the second year in a row, we are showcasing our volunteers’ hard work throughout the year in our 2024 Beach Cleanup — Year In Review. This annual report uses the data collected at our beach cleanups, including weight, types of trash, and number of volunteers.
Staying consistent was key to increasing our impact this year. Our chapter provided regular volunteer opportunities each month, ensuring that our community was able to get involved throughout 2024. We yet again had more cleanups, engaged more volunteers, and picked up more trash than in 2023.
We're happy to report that this year, we raised volunteer engagement by 16%—that's 410 more new or returning volunteers than last year joining us at our beach cleanups. This rise in attendance could be attributed to the 14 more cleanups we had compared to 2023. This brings us to over 10,000 volunteers engaged and 296 cleanup events in the past 6 years! Cleanup volunteers are the bread and butter of this program, and the more folks we are able to engage the greater our impact.
.jpg?width=4032&height=3024&name=C%20St%20Cleanup%20July%207%202024%20Marie%20Martin%20(16).jpg)
Beach cleanup volunteers at our 2024 post-4th of July C-Street cleanup.
We predictably found that plastic litter was the number one type of trash found at our beach cleanups, with 64% of our items collected being plastic. Even less surprising, the number one item picked up at our beach cleanups this year was cigarette butts—for the fifth year in a row. With plastic continuing to be a major issue on our beaches, Surfrider VC will keep fighting plastic pollution at its source with programs like Hold On To Your Butt and Plastic Free Ventura County.
Check out our full report below, and click here for more information on our Beach Cleanups Program.
2024 Beach Cleanup—Year In Review
Want to directly support our Beach Cleanup Programs while benefiting the community? Your business can sponsor a private cleanup as a team activity and help protect our oceans, waves, and beaches. Click here for more details or email aalejo@ventura.surfrider.org.