Nine volunteers standing on the beach around garbage in bags, broken buoys, a tire and more that was collected. A blue sky, ocean and small islands are seen in the background.

Beach Cleanups

Suitable for the whole family, beach cleanups are a fun and exciting way to participate in a meaningful activity. Each year, thousands of volunteers help remove tons of marine debris from the Pacific Coast and Salish Sea.

Washington State Parks is a member of the Washington Clean Coast Alliance (WCCA). Formed in 2007, WCCA is an alliance of volunteers, nonprofits, civic organizations, and federal and state government agencies that join for coordinated beach cleanups under the Washington CoastSavers program.

Annual cleanup events

Volunteer at a cleanup to help get marine debris off our beaches. Beach cleanups are held three times a year along the outer coast of Washington and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

  • The Washington Coast Cleanup is held on a Saturday near Earth Day in April. This cleanup has a long and productive history of cleaning the entire coast of Washington back to at least 2007. Visit Washington CoastSavers website for current dates and registration information.
  • July 5th is an important day to clean up our beaches. Many people celebrate the 4th of July by setting off fireworks on our coastal beaches, leaving lots of trash and plastic debris. State Parks hosts cleanups the following day at ocean beach approach locations from Ocean Shores to Long Beach. Check out the July 5th section of the Washington CoastSavers website for specific locations.
  • The International Coastal Cleanup, conducted in cooperation with the Ocean Conservancy, is typically held on the third Saturday of September. Join thousands of volunteers around the world to reduce marine debris. Visit Ocean Conservancy’s Coastal Cleanup webpage for dates and additional information.

2025 Results

Thank you to all the outstanding volunteers and community supporters in helping remove over 163,000 pounds of marine debris from our coastal beaches in 2025.

  • Washington Coast Cleanup - 13,203 pounds
  • July 5th- 141,800 pounds
  • International Coastal Cleanup- 8,440 pounds

Additional opportunities

Love beach cleanups and want to contribute more? State Parks is always looking for volunteers to help run our registration stations during our beach cleanup events. Registration Assistants help set up registration stations, greet and check-in volunteers, and hand out supplies. For more information, visit the Volunteer Program webpage.

Related Links

For more information on litter prevention, visit We Keep WA Litter Free

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Contact Us

Department Volunteer Program Office
Phone (360) 902-8583
Email Parks.Volunteer@parks.wa.gov
Address 300 Desmond Dr SE Lacey , WA 98503