Inspiring Public Awareness
and Action
CLEANUPS
Overview
Across the region, waste from streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces is carried through storm drains, rivers, and creeks, eventually making its way to the ocean.
Plastic waste is of particular concern, breaking down into smaller pieces known as microplastics, which can persist in the environment for decades.
Today, dozens of waterways across the state are impaired by trash, affecting ecosystems, public health, and access to clean water.
Reducing pollution requires both system-wide change and individual action. Cleanups play a critical role in addressing immediate impacts while building awareness and accountability across the watershed.
The LA River spans
19.5 billion gallons
of stormwater each year, making them one of the region’s largest untapped water resources
The Challenge
Unlike most other properties, schools are
not required to manage
the runoff they generate, allowing pollution to flow untreated into local waterways
LAUSD owns over
10 square miles of land
much of it paved and unable to absorb water
Solutions
LA Waterkeeper’s Creeks to Coast Cleanups bring hundreds of volunteers together each year to remove trash from neighborhoods, rivers, and beaches.
But these cleanups are about more than picking up waste. Using the Litterati app, volunteers can log the trash they collect, contributing to community science efforts that track pollution and support broader efforts to stop waste at its source.
There are a number of ways to get involved:
Join a cleanup at priority sites across Los Angeles
Take part in the Cleanup Challenge by removing trash in your own neighborhood and logging what you find
Organize a group event, whether it is a corporate volunteer day or a community gathering
