International Coastal Cleanup Day: Moran Lake Beach
On Saturday, September 19th, Clean Oceans International served as a site lead for the 2026 International Coastal Cleanup at Moran Lake Beach in Santa Cruz. Thirty volunteers joined us to clean the beach and surrounding neighborhood and watershed. The International Coastal Cleanup is an opportunity to not only remove debris, but also document what we find and contribute to a larger understanding of the waste affecting our coastlines and communities.
By the Numbers: 30 Volunteers | 3,507 Pieces! | 199 Pounds of Debris Removed
One of the biggest finds came from a nearby county lot, where volunteers uncovered a large amount of glass and ceramic debris that had been buried in the ground. In total, we removed 952 pieces of glass and 190 ceramic pieces.
Other top items included:
This was just one part of a much larger regional effort. According to preliminary totals, 1,337 volunteers removed 7,562 pounds of debris from 57 cleanup sites throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties—in just three hours!
A huge thank you to Save Our Shores for coordinating cleanup sites throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties—and to our 30 Moran Lake volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and made our cleanup possible! Final regional numbers are still being compiled, and we’ll update these totals as more information becomes available.
☕Shout out to Peet’s Coffee for providing the energy boost!
By the Numbers: 30 Volunteers | 3,507 Pieces! | 199 Pounds of Debris Removed
One of the biggest finds came from a nearby county lot, where volunteers uncovered a large amount of glass and ceramic debris that had been buried in the ground. In total, we removed 952 pieces of glass and 190 ceramic pieces.
Other top items included:
- 464 pieces of Styrofoam
- 456 food-related items
- 397 cigarette butts
This was just one part of a much larger regional effort. According to preliminary totals, 1,337 volunteers removed 7,562 pounds of debris from 57 cleanup sites throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties—in just three hours!
A huge thank you to Save Our Shores for coordinating cleanup sites throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties—and to our 30 Moran Lake volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and made our cleanup possible! Final regional numbers are still being compiled, and we’ll update these totals as more information becomes available.
☕Shout out to Peet’s Coffee for providing the energy boost!
