Cleanups To Date

Join Pitch In, Waste Free Santa Cruz and others...
Take the Plastic Free July Pledge

Start by bringing your own cup! Avoid Plastic Bottles, Stop using plastic food wrap.

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Mark your Calendar for May 9th, 2026 for the Third Annual Pitch In All County Cleanup Day. Working together We Can Make Santa Cruz the Cleanest County in the State.

Opportunities to participate will be updated here on a regular basis.

Upcoming Cleanups

  • Join River Park, Pajaro Levee and Front St. Community Cleanup! (July 24 @p:00am - 11am)
    • Location: Park & meet near River Park, 100 E. Front Street, Watsonville
    • Time: Thursday, July 24, 2025 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
    • Everyone is invited to come out and help cleanup! Volunteer waivers will need to be signed!
  • Join Save Our Shores cleanups
    • Beach Cleanup @ Cowell Beach - Dr. Wallace J. Nichols Tribute (July 23 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach, on the right side of the wharf entrance.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered parking in the lot is limited, surrounding streets have additional metered parking available, please plan accordingly.
    • Beach Cleanup @ Cowell Beach (July 26 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach, on the right side of the wharf entrance.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered parking in the lot is limited, surrounding streets have additional metered parking available, please plan accordingly.
    • Beach Cleanup @ Scott Creek Beach (August 2 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Scott Creek Beach 2QQC+QR, Davenport, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us on the concrete platform at the entrance of the beach.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: There are no restrooms available, and no drinking fountains on site. Parking is limited along Hwy 1, please plan accordingly. This location is not wheelchair accessible; there is a steep sandy path down to the beach.
    • Beach Cleanup @ Cowell Beach (August 16 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am)
      Cowell Beach 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA
      • Registration is required
      • Meet Up Location: Please meet us at the base of the stairs to Cowell Beach, on the right side of the wharf entrance.
      • Facilities & Accessibility: Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Metered parking in the lot is limited, surrounding streets have additional metered parking available, please plan accordingly.
    • Annual Coastal Cleanup Day (September 20 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm)
      Annual Coastal Cleanup Day returns for it’s 41st Anniversary on Saturday, September 20 from 9am-12pm at sites around the Monterey Bay. Annual Coastal Cleanup Day is an amazing opportunity to get outside with your fellow community members, clean up local habitats, and prevent trash from becoming harmful marine debris. We hope you will join the thousands of volunteers worldwide that will be participating this year! Stay tuned for volunteer registration to open later this summer!
  • Join Coastal Watershed Council!
    • San Lorenzo Park Neighbors (September 13 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm)
      Meet at the duck pond at 10:30 am to join in!
      Join the San Lorenzo Park Neighbors and the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department for a morning of volunteer service to beautify San Lorenzo Park, followed by a concert! Make a difference by picking up trash in the park, and help with special projects that may include painting, sanding benches, planting, weeding, raking, and or pruning. Tools will be provided for volunteers, as well as water and coffee. Meet at the duck pond at 10:30 am to join in! Email us with questions at sanlorenzoparkneighbors@gmail.com.
  • Join Grant Park Neighbors for community cleanups and fun!
    • Saturday, August 23, 2025
    • Saturday, September 20, 2025
    • Saturday, October 11, 2025
    • For more information, please visit grantparkneighbors.org

Cleanups Accomplished

Paulsen Road Watsonville Cleanup

November 2, 2022

As the skies threatened rain, 18 volunteers bundled warm against the fall chill, worked their way slowly down Paulsen Road with grabbers and garbage bags in hand. This county road which transitions from Whiting Road into Paulsen bisects colorful vineyards, ornamental greenhouses, farm land, and housing.

Casserly Creek runs across Paulsen Road. It is a 6.2-mile stream, flowing from Santa Clara county through Watsonville.  Casserly Creek is part of the Corralitos Creek Watershed, which is the largest watershed under the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. Casserly Creek is a part of the Region 3 Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.  At an elevation of 18 meters this stream is named for Eugene Casserly who historically owned land in the area. In harsh weather conditions, this creek is prone to flooding. It is another fragile habitat, where fish including largemouth bass fry and even the possibility of steelhead trout take shelter.

Beneath the tangle of burgundy blackberry leaves, torch bright poison oak, and clusters of ruby wild rose hips, the glint of glass could be seen. Numerous illegally discarded liquor and beer bottles, along with slurpy cups, straws, foil wrappers, food containers, cigarette butts, plastic and undetermined trash marred the scene. Tiny birds could be seen flitting between branches camouflaging dumped dirty diapers, bags of old clothes, and food waste. Volunteers picked up several bar-b-ques, broken furniture, box springs, mattresses, and 11 tires.

There were numerous sharps— knives, straight edged blades, scissors, and razors. Two large bags contained the entrails and skins of butchered goats writhing with maggots. “This is what is happening to our community. And it need to stop!” sighed one volunteer.

Kudos and appreciation goes out to members of Watsonville Works, Santa Cruz County Public Works, Council district 4 and the American Legion.

In addition, a grassroots citizen activist group who are now a part of the overall Trash Talkers effort were there to clean up Paulsen Road. Mostly retired women, these citizens are tired of the trash! They are Wetlands Watch Volunteers, Birders, and individuals who care about the health of the environment and our community. A deep bow of gratitude to them for their stalwart participation in this and many other cleanups! On their own volition they have picked up litter on walking trails, neighborhood streets, and around the sloughs to help eradicate this problem.

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Citizen volunteers, Watsonville Works, The American Legion, and the County of Santa Cruz Public Works collaborated to clean up Paulsen Road. Sadly, due to the volume of Illegal dumping found there, only half of the road could be addressed.
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Bags of garbage have been thrown into the Creek on Paulsen Road.
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Two volunteers pause in front of trash picked up on Paulsen Road.
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Council Dist. 4 and Cleanup organizer Ramon Gomez with 11 tires pulled from creek along Paulsen Road.
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Santa Cruz County Public Works Truck assisting volunteers on Paulsen Road.
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Miscellaneous furniture, bar-b-ques, mattresses, and trash found in the bird filled bushes along Paulsen Road.
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Cleanup group photo on Paulsen Road.
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