Event Background
The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) invites our supporters and community to volunteer with us for our annual Litter Bugs Me (LBM), roadside clean up, and for the official Coastal Clean Up Day (CCD) each September. These events are a coastal community effort to clean up our watersheds and habitats before the first fall rains.
The week-long fall LBM (September 18-23, 2023) event encouraged local businesses, clubs, village associations, and nonprofits to Team Up to Clean Up with us by adopting a roadway, beach, or creek in coastal Marin and getting a group out in the field to clean up that section of roadway, trail, or specific site in need.
In 2023 the community groups that participated included: the East Shore Planning Group, Olema Valley Association, West Marin Climate Action, Rotary Club, Nicasio Volunteer Firefighters Ladies Auxiliary, and Audubon Canyon Ranch at Cypress Grove. Each of the crews were organized by a team leader who recruited and coordinated their volunteer teams during the week, then sent in their results, team photos, and trash to White House Pool for collection. This event or portion of our clean-up work was founded over 20 years ago by West Marin residents, Rigdon Currie and Dennis Rodoni (currently our District Four Marin County Supervisor) before the event was handed off to EAC in 2009.
LBM week includes Saturday, Coastal Clean Up Day (Sept 23, 2023). Coastal Cleanup Day is an annual international event encourages volunteers worldwide to take action by volunteering to clean up our coastal watersheds. EAC encourages individuals to join us on this day to clean up various key locations in coastal Marin. All volunteers bring their debris collection to the White House Pool to be weighed and sorted in bins with help from a Recology Sonoma-Marin representative and into bins donated by them, followed by a drink and snack for their effort.
2023 Results
In 2023, we are happy to report over 51 volunteers participated in the two events. This fantastic community volunteer effort resulted in the removal of over 748 lbs. of trash (7 cubic yards) and 133 lbs. of recycling (1.2 cubic yards) from critical wildlife habitats. In addition, volunteers removed over 80 gallons of discarded oyster shells from Millerton Point State Park’s Alan Sieroty Beach, in partnership with Tomales Bay Oyster Company, who provided the collection bins and disposed of the shells.
This year, more garbage was cleaned up compared than in 2022, when 448 pounds was collected, but slightly less recycling than the 270 pounds collected last year. Unusual items found in 2023 included a tractor tire with a rim still attached on Platform Bridge Road and car parts from a car discovered down an embankment in Olema on Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and partner groups, as well as our sponsors for making this event possible. It takes a dedicated community to keep our roadsides clean and help prevent harm to our watersheds, oceans, and wildlife.
Stay tuned for the spring Litter Bugs Me event by clicking here, or
