Alabama Coastal Cleanup Set for Saturday, September 20
Volunteer opportunities available
Are you looking for an opportunity to get outside with friends and family and do something that benefits your community and the environment? If so, you are encouraged to take part in the state’s largest single-day volunteer cleanup event, the 38th Annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup. The event will take place in Baldwin and Mobile counties on September 20, 2025, from 8 a.m. until noon.
“This annual event demonstrates what state agencies, business, industry and volunteers can do when working together for the benefit of all Alabamians,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). “Without volunteers and the event sponsors, Alabama’s Coastal Cleanup would not be possible. I am grateful for their generous efforts in keeping our coastal areas beautiful.”
Alabama’s Coastal Cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, an effort to remove marine debris from coastal waters around the world. The event is coordinated by ADCNR’s State Lands Division and Alabama People Against a Littered State (ALPALS). Since 1987, more than 112,000 volunteers have participated in the Alabama Coastal Cleanup and removed 900 tons of marine debris from beaches, roadways, bayous, backwater and other coastal areas.
“For 38 years, Alabama PALS and ADCNR have been partners in the Alabama Coastal Cleanup,” said Jamie Mitchell, ALPALS Executive Director. “We are extremely proud of this successful partnership and look forward to growing this annual coastal effort in the future. We would also like to say thank you to the thousands of dedicated volunteers who work hard during the event each year. We can’t do it without you.”
In addition to removing various forms of marine debris, many of the plastic bottles and aluminum cans collected will be recycled. The types and number of debris will be recorded at each zone by participating volunteers. Organizers are recommending participants use the Ocean Conservancy Clean Swell app to tally the debris. Data collected over the years helps provide insight into the issue of marine debris and generates efforts to better understand its causes and mitigate it in the future. The Clean Swell app is available for free from the Apple and Android app stores. More information about the Clean Swell app can be found at www.oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/clean-swell-app.
Volunteers are needed for all cleanup sites in the 37 cleanup zones in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Zone coordinators will distribute trash grabbers, large trash bags, recycling bags, gloves and other cleanup supplies to participants. There is a limited number of t-shirts, scout badges and window decals available to participants on a first come, first served basis.
The 38th Alabama Coastal Cleanup is made possible by the generous support of the 2025 Title Sponsor the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Additional sponsors include: Perdido Beach Resort, Bebo’s Express, Ike’s Beach Service, AirBus, Alabama Power, City of Gulf Shores, City of Orange Beach, Coast 360, Coastal Conservation Association-Alabama, CoastAL, Compass Media, Evonik, FloraBama, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, Gulf Shores Utilities, The Home Depot, Kommerling USA, LuLu’s, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Riviera Utilities, Rock and Roll Offs, Holcim, Baldwin County Sewer Service, Osprey Initiative, Thompson Engineering, Alabama Department of Transportation, Alabama Farmers Cooperative, ALFA Insurance, Association of County Commissions of Alabama, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, and Vulcan Materials Company.
For more information about how to participate, the coastal zones, zone captains, start times and safety tips, visit www.AlabamaCoastalCleanup.com or call (251) 621-1216.
You can also follow the Alabama Coastal Cleanup on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlabamaCoastalCleanup.
Learn more about Alabama PALS at www.alpals.org.
ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Learn more at www.outdooralabama.com.
Contact: Rebecca Perdue with ADCNR, (251) 621-1216 / rebecca.perdue@dcnr.alabama.gov; or Jamie Mitchell with ALPALS at (334) 263-7737/ jamie@alpals.org.
