1.Pick a time and place at a beach or water way near you.

If you don’t live by the beach, find a creek or river nearby that could use some tender loving care. All waterways lead to the ocean, and by default all garbage it picks up along the way, so taking time to host a cleanup by a creek or river is just as valuable as hosting a cleanup at the beach!

2. Get together with a group of friends, or join an ocean conservancy group in your area.

Cleaning up the beach or a water way near you is way more fun when you can do it with friends. Having a hard time persuading friends to join you? Join a cleanup hosted by a local conservation group. This can also be a great way to meet like-minded individuals who can inspire you and your goals to protect the earth. We recommend checking Coast Keeper, Ocean Conservancy, and The Surfrider Foundation to find any events happening in your area.

3. Post about the event to spread awareness

One cool result of hosting a cleanup is increased awareness of pollution in the ocean, with the goal of utilizing the awareness to create lasting change. By posting about the cleanup, or what was collected at the cleanup, on social media, you could be inspiring and educating your friends and family.

4. Bring reusable gloves and bags

Grab a pair of garden or cleaning gloves and reusable bags. If you don’t have reusable bags you can opt for a bucket or any container that seems easy to carry around. Bring extras to provide to anyone who may have forgotten theirs at home.

5. Sort items into recyclable vs. non recyclable items

Sort the trash into what can be recycled and what can’t. Glass, aluminum cans, and some plastics like water and soda bottles and caps can be recycled.

6. Dispose of the trash collected properly

Join the research efforts of beach cleanup groups around the world by recording the trash found in the app Clean Swell, developed by the Ocean Conservancy.