Delaware Coastal Cleanup

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Trash on our beaches and in our waterways isn’t just unsightly – it’s also potentially dangerous to marine life and in some cases harmful to water quality. The annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup offers volunteers an opportunity to help make a difference for Delaware’s shoreline and waterways while joining an international effort to clean up the world’s waters.

The 2019 Coastal Cleanup

Volunteers of all ages can help make a difference by participating in the 32nd annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 14, 2019. The clean-up will be from 9:00 a.m. to noon. In case of severe weather, the rain date will be Saturday, September 28.

The annual coastal cleanup is sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. It spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas.

Register Now

Online registration is now open. Volunteers and groups are encouraged to preregister now through September 2, to ensure enough supplies are readied for each site.

For all volunteers younger than 18, a parental consent form is required. Young volunteers will need a signed consent form, along with their registration, to participate.

In 2018, despite a weather-related delay, more than a thousand volunteers collected 2.7 tons of trash and recyclables from 42 sites along more than 68 miles of Delaware’s waterways and coastline.

New for 2019: An App For That

Would you prefer to report your Coastal Cleanup finds on your smartphone instead of using a paper data card? This year, Delaware Coastal Cleanup volunteers at all sites statewide can download DNREC’s Coastal Cleanup app for Android or iPhone.

The app is available from Google Play or the Apple store – just look for the Survey 123 app, choose the Coastal Cleanup from the list, log in with a simple password from your site captain, and follow the directions to enter data into an online version of the old hard-copy data card.

No cell phone reception at your site? No problem – the app can save your data to send when you’re back in range.

Zone Captains and Contact Information

If you are a volunteer and have questions about your site in the 2019 Coastal Cleanup, please contact the zone captain in your area:

State Parks Statewide Zone Captain: Alison Romano, 302.900.1423

State Wildlife Areas Zone Captain: Lynne Pusey, 302.422.1329

Sussex Beach Sites Zone Captain: Jennifer Pongratz, 302.739.9921

Kent County Bay Beach Sites Zone Captain: Colleen Holstein, 302.739.6377

Groups of 10 or more should contact their zone captain (if known) or Cleanup Coordinator Joanna Wilson by email or at 302.739.9902.

For more information, please visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/coastal-cleanup/