1,000 Volunteers to Clean Martin County Beaches Sept 19

A thousand people with a shared mission can transform a coastline in a single day, and Martin County residents are proving it again this September.

Keep Martin Beautiful is rallying the community for the 2026 International Coastal Cleanup on September 19. Volunteers will spread across local beaches, shorelines, and waterways to remove the litter that threatens marine life and damages coastal habitats.

This isn't just a one-time cleanup. For more than three decades, Keep Martin Beautiful has served as Martin County's local coordinator for this worldwide initiative, bringing together residents of all ages to care for their coast.

The numbers tell the story. Each year, more than 1,000 volunteers turn out to collect bottles, food packaging, and thousands of cigarette butts. They also gather plastic foam fragments, discarded fishing line, and microplastics that travel through storm drains into the ocean.

What makes this cleanup different is what happens after the trash bags are filled. Volunteers use the free CleanSwell app to record every piece of litter they collect, turning a beach day into valuable scientific data.

The Ripple Effect

That data flows to Keep Martin Beautiful and the Ocean Conservancy, where scientists analyze pollution trends across the globe. The information guides conservation efforts and helps develop solutions to reduce marine debris worldwide.

A cleanup in Martin County contributes to understanding ocean pollution from California to Croatia. When volunteers log a fishing line or plastic bottle, they're helping researchers identify patterns that lead to policy changes and better waste management systems.

The event welcomes volunteers of all ages. Families, students, retirees, and anyone who wants to protect the coast can register on the Keep Martin Beautiful website.

This September, Martin County residents will join millions of volunteers across 100 countries in the world's largest single-day volunteer event for ocean health, proving that local action creates global impact.