Keep America Beautiful affiliates across the country host 2019 International Coastal Cleanup events on Saturday, Sept. 21. 

Coast to coast, thousands of volunteers joined local affiliates in participating in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) — an initiative of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® Alliance, of which Keep America Beautiful® is a founding member.

“Held in over 100 countries around the world every September, the International Coastal Cleanup … is the world’s largest effort to rid the ocean of plastics and marine debris,” according to the Ocean Conservancy website.

Keep Jacksonville Beautiful in Florida held a successful event with more than 1,000 volunteers who collected 4.65 tons of litter and debris. On the state’s west coast, more than 200 Keep Pensacola Beautiful volunteers picked up 340 pounds of trash from the local Pensacola Beach. Several additional Florida affiliates also hosted events, including Keep Brevard Beautiful, Keep Collier Beautiful, and Keep Lee County Beautiful

During I Love A Clean San Diego‘s 35th annual Coastal Cleanup Day event, more than 6,500 volunteers cleared nearly 145,000 pounds of litter and debris from streets, canyons, parks, and the coastline in communities across San Diego County. The event took place across 107 sites around the region. 

Meanwhile, Keep Mansfield Beautiful in Massachusetts hosted an event for World Cleanup Day, an initiative organized on the same day as the International Coastal Cleanup. With the help of MassDOT, volunteers removed nearly 75 bags and 1,800 pounds of trash along a state highway. 

Pictured above: Volunteers with Keep Brevard Beautiful