The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) was created in 1986, when during a family outing to South Padre Island, Texas, an Ocean Conservancy staff member was troubled by the amount of trash on the shore. Compelled to do something, she soon thereafter organized a beach cleanup and in a mere two hours, 2,800 Texans picked up 124 tons of trash.

 

Today, a worldwide movement has grown out of that single event. Over the past twenty years, more than six million volunteers in 120+ countries and all U.S. states and territories have cleaned up over 116 million pounds of litter. Trash in the ocean kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year through entanglement and ingestion. On the third

Saturday in September each year, the ICC provides a direct and tangible way for individuals to make a difference. Removing trash from the world’s waterways makes the ocean healthier and more resilient to deal with the onslaught of global climate change.

 

·         Culminates in the world’s largest single-day volunteer event of its kind.

·      Serves as the only comprehensive data report categorizing the types and hazards of marine debris.

·      Promotes a year-round campaign to eliminate trash before it ends up in the water.