International Coastal Cleanup 2024

Our amazing community came together like never before for this year’s International Coastal Cleanup! With 415 volunteers across Sanibel, Captiva, and North Captiva beaches, this was our biggest cleanup event to date. Volunteers showed up in full force, filling an entire dumpster with a total of 1,180 pounds of trash as we worked to protect our coastlines and marine life.

This event filled up so quickly thanks to your overwhelming support! We are so grateful to everyone who contributed their time and energy to making it such a massive success. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the world’s oceans.

“This year’s turnout has truly blown me away. Seeing so many people come together with a shared passion for protecting our coastlines is inspiring! The dedication of our volunteers and community partners proves that we are all united in our mission to keep our oceans clean and healthy. I’m beyond grateful for everyone who made this event possible and proud to be part of such an incredible community of ocean advocates.”—Kealy Pfau, Coastal Watch Director

Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners

A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors and partners for their incredible support:

• Keep Lee County Beautiful organized cleanup efforts throughout the county.
• Bank of the Islands, a longtime supporter of this event, provided post-cleanup lunches for our hardworking volunteers.
• Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille generously donated lunches and crafted a special menu for our participants.
• Hooked Dumpsters ensured all the collected trash was properly disposed of by providing a dumpster.

A special shoutout to Sanibel Moorings Resort and Island Inn for allowing participants to park in their lots during the event. Additionally, huge thanks to Bailey’s General Store, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, and the Sanibel Recreation Center for donating hundreds of buckets used during the cleanup. These buckets will now be recycled for use in our beach bucket stations, helping to keep our shores pristine year-round. 

Volunteer Groups

We had more than 25 amazing groups represented, including Bank of the Islands, WINK News, F.I.S.H. of SanCap, CROW Clinic, Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors, SpotOne, Popstroke, and Lee Health, among many others. Their collective efforts truly made this day unforgettable.

“As a Fort Myers local, I’ve been participating in International Coastal Cleanup Day with my family since I was a small child. It’s incredible to see how much it has grown over the years. Each year, I’m reminded of the amazing community we have here—people really show up to take care of our beaches, which means so much to our island community. I’m truly grateful to be a part of something this special and to see so many people come together for a common cause.” — Emery Lowden, Social Media & Resource Manager at F.I.S.H. of SanCap

We couldn’t do this without the generous support and enthusiasm of our community and partners—thank you for helping us protect our coastlines!

Global Effort 

Since the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup began in 1986, over 18 million volunteers have collected nearly 385 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the world.