Highlights from the Creek to Bay Cleanup & Fletcher Cove Cleanup Station Grand Opening

Last Saturday, April 26, the Solana Beach community came together to celebrate Earth Week with the official launch of the City’s new beach clean-up station. The station was spearheaded by City of Solana Beach staff in partnership with Relic Sustainability, EDCO, and local Girl Scout Troop 3844. The event started at 9:00 A.M. with a special unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the clean-up station. The unveiling of the station coincided with I Love A Clean San Diego's 23rd Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup, hosted by the Rob Machado Foundation at Fletcher Cove. At the Fletcher Cove site alone, 75 registered volunteers attended and collected 87 lbs. of trash.

Lesa Heebner, Mayor of Solana Beach, stated “Plastic pollution is a major contributor to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation…It harms marine life and ultimately makes its way up the food chain and into our bodies.” People can help by taking a basket and picking up any trash that people have left on the beach or that has washed up on shore. “This station is designed to make it easy for beach-goers to help keep our shoreline clean and beautiful every day, all year-round,” said Heebner. 

Volunteers were invited to use the reusable shopping baskets at the new clean-up station to collect their trash. This new amenity is available at Fletcher Cove year-round for all beachgoers to join the effort every day. A QR code on the sign above the baskets leads to a survey where people can submit feedback and share what they found on the beach. Future plans may include placing more stations and baskets, as well as cleanup tools at various locations around other local beaches. You can find updates and learn more about the City’s Beach Cleanup Station here.