| Hey, Californians, you may not be able to resolve tragic overseas wars or heal our noxious national political divide, but you can clean up the mess in our own backyard. Specifically, our communal backyard, also known as the Pacific Coast. |
| Saturday is Coastal Cleanup Day all along California's more than 1,200-mile shoreline. Volunteers will be fanning out on dozens of beaches (and inland waterways that feed into the ocean) to pick up trash and pay homage to our state's most glorious natural resource. |
| The environmental group Heal the Bay has been coordinating the cleanups along the Los Angeles County coast for 36 years and, in 2025, the environmental group is offering 70 locations for people to aid in the massive cleanup. |
| It's a small act people can engage in to push back against a tide of waste and perhaps against their own feelings of impotence in an unsettled world. Heal the Bay also strives to make doing good fun, with sign-ups for the cleanups, which include specialty events at several cleanup locations, which generally run from 9 a.m. until noon. |
| At the base of Rose Avenue in Venice, a group called Cinephiles for the Sea asks volunteers to mingle with fellow movie lovers as they scoop up cigarette butts and plastic bottles. In Redondo Beach, Heal the Bay volunteers will host a fisherman's meet-up on the pier. All along the beach, the environmental group will place special items along the beach that can be redeemed for prizes. |
| In 2024, about 7,000 volunteers removed 18,000 pounds of pollutants and recyclables from the shoreline, parks and trails around Los Angeles County, Heal the Bay reported. Cigarette butts perennially "win" the derby as the most common item fouling local beaches, though bits of polystyrene, a.k.a. styrofoam, are also ubiquitous. |
| The waste pickup helps the county and environmental groups assess the impact of a more global problem — the proliferation of single-use plastics in things like beverage bottles and eating utensils. Plastics pollution has been shown to harm marine life and has been cited in some research has hurting human health. |
| The state of California has tried to limit single-use plastic, most notably with a 2022 law, SB 54, that called for plastic and packaging companies to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25% and ensure that 65% of that material is recyclable and 100% either recyclable or compostable — all by 2032. But Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year slowed the writing of regulations to implement the law, with one of his aides citing the potentially high cost to consumers. |
| While the state works out those details, several cities have been moving forward with their own rules. Malibu was one of several cities banning single-use plastic utensils at restaurants. Patrons now eat their food with wooden forks, knives and spoons. The city of Los Angeles is working on a law that would force restaurants to use reusable/washable utensils. |
| A shift in public consciousness could drive changes, said Emily Parker, senior marine scientist at Heal the Bay. Some of that change is already evident — with the growing number of people who bring their own reusable containers to airports, arenas and other public places. Parker is working on "circular economy" solutions, emphasizing ways in which consumers can reduce their use of plastics and reuse containers and other plastic items. |
| The change will be part of a larger societal shift, Parker hopes, in which "we value the things that we have." |
| "Instead of constantly taking things from the earth, making something new and then disposing of it, we need to find a way to use those items over and over again," Parker said. "It's better for our wallets, it's better for our bodies, and it's way better for the planet." |
The week's biggest stories |
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| (Robert - stock.adobe.com) |
Environmental issues and fires |
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Crime, courts and policing |
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Trump administration policies and reactions |
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Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw announces retirement |
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Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and fallout |
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More big stories |
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This week's must-reads |
| | | The Magic Castle has housed the Academy of Magical Arts for decades. That could change under a new proposal by mansion owner Randy Pitchford. | | | |
More great reads |
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For your weekend |
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| (Solomon O. Smith / For The Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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| Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff writer |
| Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor |
| Andrew J. Campa, reporter |
| Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| Diamy Wang, homepage intern |
| Izzy Nunes, audience intern |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
