Santa Monica’s beaches are among some of the best in the world, with unmatched beauty and views of the Pacific Ocean. Every year, over 8 million tourists visit Santa Monica, making it one of the most popular destinations in Southern California. With this much traffic coming in and out of the City every year, it takes a lot of help to keep the Santa Monica beaches clean and beautiful.
The City of Santa Monica does an excellent job of maintaining and upgrading the local beaches for locals and tourists alike. The Public Landscape Division’s Beach Maintenance department has set up beaches with trash and recycling containers, maintains recreation areas and cleans restrooms up and down the 3.5 miles of bike path to keep the City looking it’s best day in and day out – but that’s not always enough.
In order to keep the beaches clean throughout the busy days in the summer, it’s important to get help from visitors as well. There is a lot that can be done to help keep Santa Monica beaches clean! We’ve put together a list of simple things that you can do to chip in:
- Take Everything You Bring With You: Planning to spend a few hours out on the beach eating lunch and laying in the sand? Make sure to bring a bag with you to pick up any trash you have before leaving. Feeling extra altruistic? Pick up other trash you find even if it isn’t yours and take it with you when you leave the beach.
- Volunteer to Help Clean the Beach: Take some time out of your busy schedule to volunteer with a group of other like-minded nature lovers to clean up the beaches in Santa Monica. Heal the Bay is based right here in Santa Monica and always has volunteer events that you can join.
- Spread the Word: This one may be the most important and impactful. If you’re already doing the first two, this third one should be easy! Tell your kids, family, and friends about how they can help along with you. Join in on social media to spread the message even further.
The Impact One Person Can Have
Every person that contributes to helping keep Santa Monica beaches clean has an impact on this beautiful city. While we encourage everyone who visits Santa Monica to keep the beaches clean during their stay, the biggest impact always comes from the local community. Residents of Santa Monica benefit from living in this amazing city year-round, and by contributing to keeping the beaches clean regularly, can have a meaningful impact on the environment