You don’t need to wait for a government-oriented beach clean-up so that you can start cleaning your beach. You can organize one. All you need is some planning and a group of volunteers as passionate as you are in getting rid of the trash in our beaches. Just remember to do these basic steps.
- Choose a beach in need of a clean-up: The ideal beach should be nearby with easy access for your volunteers. You can ask around from your local department for some recommendations.
- Pick an ideal schedule: The ideal time would be early morning, when the beach would be empty, and on a weekend, when every volunteer will have free time to help. Most DIY sites suggest holding the clean-up early spring or late fall. Also check the tide charts; low tides give you more ground to clean rather than high tides.
- Get permission from local authorities: For public beaches, the event might need permits. Letting them know about the event would also be an opportunity to invite them to join so you will have a bigger group to clean up with.
- Find volunteers: You can tie up the clean-up activity with a local event to get more volunteers. Or you can send out an invite among your network or post it on social media for more mileage.
- Plan out your logistics and your materials recovery and segregation plan: Prepare your cleaning supplies. The usual tools are recyclable or canvas garbage bags, biodegradable protective gloves, trash sticks, rakes, sunscreen. Have an emergency plan for accidents. You will also need to create a plan for the segregation and disposal of the trash that you collected.
For a more detailed plan, Wikihow is an excellent resource in finding out how to organize a successful clean-up activity.