SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Hundreds of volunteers spent their Saturday picking up trash at San Diego beaches for the 37th annual California Coastal Clean Up Day.
News 8 has been a grateful partner of this event for many years.
It's also the 20th anniversary of Think Blue San Diego, a campaign with a mission to keep clean water and clean beaches in San Diego.
Since the coastal cleanup started 37 years ago, organizers say more than 273,000 volunteers county-wide collected more than 5.5 million pounds of litter and debris.
"Clean water, clean beaches!” chants San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
Organizers of Think Blue San Diego and I Love A Clean San Diego say more than 6,000 volunteers participated in picking up trash at beaches in San Diego Saturday for Coastal Clean Up Day. Volunteers collected all kinds of items on the beach.
"I found this huge rope in kelp," said one volunteer.
"I want to say it was mostly cigarette butts, food, cans, soda cans, lots of bottle caps, glass, and we got it!" said volunteer, Jacqueline Duran.
"I picked up old cans, bottles, cigarette butts, a top of a grill, rubber, ropes, pretty much anything you can find," said volunteer, Khayry Carter.
The goal is to have liter free beaches and stop pollution before it gets into storm drain systems.
"It directly impacts the quality of life for all San Diegans and then impacts the entire state," said volunteer, Casey Saplan.
"We hear so much about climate change and how scary the effects are and whatever we can do now to get clean water, it will pay off in the future and that’s a future I want to see," said Duran.
"San Diegans are fiercely proud of our quality of life and a modernized storm system is critical to that quality of life," said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
"We have to have clean water. It is a top priority for the city," said Carter.
Remember to pick up trash if you see it to help create clean water and clean beaches for all San Diegans and visitors.
"Think Blue San Diego!" chants the volunteers at Ocean Beach.
Organizers anticipate at least 30,000 pounds of litter to be collected county-wide. They say the number one item collected is cigarette butts.
WATCH RELATED: Pounds and pounds of tar balls washing up at La Jolla Shores (August 2021)