Community Cleanup Guide
Support your sport by protecting the ocean
Cleanup for World Oceans Day
Connect with the community
As someone who spends a lot of time around the, you know how
important it is to keep it clean! Participate in World Oceans Day this
year by planning a cleanup in your community, using this guide.
If you’d like to do more, check out these opportunities to make your
event even better for the ocean:
Register your cleanup event at
WorldOceansDay.org/submit and
share your contribution with the
world, and grab World Oceans Day
gear at WorldOceansDay.org/support
 Sign up with Terracycle to recycle unusual trash like cigarette
butts
 Ask your cleanup participants to take it beyond June 8th – sign up
for 41pounds.org and stop more junk mail from being made and
shipped. Use this URL: http://tiny.cc/nojunk
 Support wind power projects by buying a renewable energy
credit in honor of World Oceans Day. Participants can text
“ocean” to 67076 and in return they’ll get a link to
Post a selfie for the sea at your
cleanup event! Take a photo of
yourself helping the ocean at your
cleanup and tag it #WorldOceansDay
on social media
http://ocean.supportgreenpower.com
How to Get Started
1. Have one dedicated Cleanup Coordinator.
2. Select a site - a stream, a lake, a coastal wetland, the ocean, or
any other body of water, particularly where litter has
accumulated. You can even do an “underwater” clean-up!
3. Set a date. Also, decide if you would benefit from setting a
rain date (there is potential with a rain date to lose
considerable volunteer commitment).
Scouting your Site
Walk your selected site to gain a better idea of the amount and type of litter there. If coastal, check the tide
charts.
Decide where volunteers will meet the day of the project. This central location will not only serve as the initial meeting
place, but also as the location where trash bags are brought for transfer to dump or trash trucks.
Equipment and Materials
Provide volunteers with the following:
 Large trash bags and boxes for recyclables
 “Sharps” containers in case needles are located
 Work gloves and/or disposable plastic gloves
 Rakes, shovels, and/or litter poles
 Data sheets (if you’d like to record all litter and debris found by type and number)
 Maps if needed – for a large cleanup event or large cleanup site
 Water and snacks (or encourage people to bring them)
 Sun screen and first aid kits
The Big Day
A sign-in sheet should be provided for volunteers on the day of the cleanup. Once most people have arrived:
brief the volunteers on how to separate recyclable litter from non-recyclable litter, assign cleanup sections with
starting points to deposit trash for pick up (if a large event or site), tell volunteers who to contact in case of
emergency, and mention any particular hazards. All volunteers should wear disposable plastic gloves at all times.
If funds are available, it’s always nice to give people a memento of their time – whether that is an inexpensive
button, a photo, or a t-shirt (contact The Ocean Project for other ideas).
Contact The Ocean Project for further information: info@WorldOceansDay.org
401.709.4071 www.WorldOceansDay.org * www.TheOceanProject.org
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