About Creek to Bay
Founded in 2002 by I Love A Clean San Diego, the Creek to Bay Cleanup shares the honor with Coastal Cleanup Day as one of the largest single-day environmental action events in San Diego County.
20th Anniversary Creek to Bay Cleanup | An Earth Week Celebration!
Thank you for helping us celebrate the 20th anniversary of the largest environmental cleanup in San Diego County during Earth Week!
Thousands of volunteers around the region gathered to help remove harmful litter and get closer to collecting nearly 3 million pounds of pollution since the event began.
Who: A family-friendly event. Join some 4,000 volunteers from many locations around San Diego County.
What: This year’s environmental event returns to group volunteering at many sites in need around the region.
Where: Nearly 75 sites around San Diego County.
Why: Check out the Why Volunteer section below.
FAQ
Founded in 2002 by I Love A Clean San Diego, the Creek to Bay Cleanup shares the honor with Coastal Cleanup Day as one of the largest single-day environmental action events in San Diego County.
80% of all coastal pollution begins inland
By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish by weight in the world’s oceans if we don’t defend our waterways from litter
Because we LOVE
where we live
I Love A Clean San Diego would like to thank the 2022 Creek to Bay Cleanup supporters. If you would like to join the community of businesses that support this event, please contact Steve Morris at smorris@cleansd.org.
Interested in sponsoring the 2023 Creek to Bay Cleanup or
an upcoming I Love A Clean San Diego event? Please
contact us.
5797 Chesapeake Court
Suite 200
San Diego, CA, 92123
We are offering two unique opportunities for volunteering:
Self-Led Option: Our Creek to Bay self-led option is a cleanup run by YOU! If you are trying to keep your circle small and limit your exposure to groups you can stay close to home and collect litter throughout the streets of your neighborhood! This option allows you to support your neighborhood and protect our San Diego watersheds by preventing tons of litter from entering our creeks, bays, and the ocean. This option is not permitted by ILACSD and instead you are solely responsible for collecting and disposing of trash, supplies, and assume all responsibilities for the cleanup. Don’t forget to report your litter debris and cleanup location after your cleanup. When you register you’ll receive a link to report your litter totals which will be automatically uploaded to our Volunteer Impact Map so we can see your passion in action! Register for a self-led cleanup here.
In-Person Site: If you are eager to participate in a group setting and meet new people, join members of the public at our designated sites led by a site captain or staff member! There will be 78+ sites all throughout San Diego County. Our in-person sites are managed by ILACSD and volunteer Sites Captains to include permitting, trash disposal, and all supplies. You can pick the site of your choosing through our Community Hub! Your litter totals will be added by the Site Captain or Staff Member at your site.
No matter where you live in San Diego County, every gutter, street, parking lot, park, canyon and beach is in one of the county’s 11 watersheds. The health of these systems means healthier creeks and ocean for all of us!
If you choose to not join an in-person, staffed cleanup location but rather to lead your own independent cleanup on the day you will be responsible for gathering your own supplies, managing the trash you collect and dispose of, and picking a location for your cleanup. Please keep in mind the self-led cleanups are not permitted by IlACSD. We have resources available to help you make the most of what you have at home such as our Resource Guide: Click here for our Virtual Cleanup Resources Guide! You may want to bring snacks, hand sanitizer, and should wear sturdy closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a cleanup. Hats, water, and sunscreen are highly recommended. Register on April 1st through our Community Hub to get more details on how to setup a great cleanup day!
Yes! As you register, you have the option to Sign Up as a Group to keep your team members together through our Community Hub (where you register for this event). Group Leaders will be able to track who has joined their group through your unique Group URL link (you will receive this link upon group registration) or register on behalf of your group.
How to Register Your Group:
This event does qualify for Community Service Hours for all sites and participants (in-person and self-led).
If you require Court Ordered hours verification, this is only available at hosted in-person sites (a site captain or staff member has to verify Court Ordered Hours for your cleanup). Please inform your site leader upon arrival of your verification needs.
To receive volunteer hours, digital service forms, and Letters of Appreciation – volunteers must:
Follow our How To Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Follow CDC Guidance on vaccinated and unvaccinated requirements throughout the County. For cleanup-related safety, please read the safety guidelines you’ll receive via email when you register or take a few minutes to watch our fantastic safety video brought to you by our very own staff!
Creek to Bay is a great event for the whole family. Kids are more than welcome to participate; volunteering at a young age can instill community stewardship for life! Check your site details for more site specifics. Scout troops can earn a Creek to Bay 2022 Patch after they participate in the clean and successfully log their hours on their profile in the Community Hub. Need help logging hours after the cleanup? Click here for a Guide!
After your cleanup, weigh the debris you collected (trash and recycling) and share it with I Love A Clean San Diego by taking a short survey after your cleanup. The litter data and cleanup location you enter in the survey will automatically populate on our county-wide Volunteer Impact Map! This participatory map shows a quantitative measurement of the day’s cleanup efforts. Participants will contribute to real time, crowd-sourced metrics and impact for the event. Once registered, volunteers will be sent a link to a simple survey to report back on their cleanup stats, which can be accessed on mobile device or computer.
Patches are NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
The good news is, the next cleanup available for a patch will be this coming September 17th during our 38th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day! We hope to see you there and thank you for your effort in keeping our environment litter-free!