Greenwich Green & Clean is calling on residents to help sweep trash from the shoreline at Greenwich Point Park on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The nonprofit's annual International Coastal Cleanup runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tod's Point. Volunteers check in at the parking lot across from the first concession stand. No beach pass is required.

Every piece of litter collected will be counted and reported to Save the Sound. The Connecticut-based environmental group has coordinated Long Island Sound cleanups as part of the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) since 2002.

That database matters. According to The Guardian, about 630,000 volunteers worldwide removed almost 13.9 million pieces of trash during the 2025 ICC. The data has been cited in nearly 300 peer-reviewed studies evaluating whether plastic-pollution policies are working.

Locally, the numbers are striking too. Volunteers across the Long Island Sound region collected 11,541 pounds of litter in 2025, according to Greenwich Time. Cigarette butts topped the list at 18,321 items, followed by bottle caps (12,718) and food wrappers (10,741). Those same items have led the count for nine consecutive years.

Annalisa Paltauf, Save the Sound's cleanup coordinator, told Greenwich Time in March that the effort goes beyond picking up garbage. "It has a real impact, brings people together, and encourages good stewardship of our region," she said.

The ICC is scheduled across roughly 100 countries on Sept. 19. Since the program launched in 1986, nearly 20 million volunteers have participated, and the database now holds records of almost 440 million individual items, according to IndexBox.

Kanako MacLennan, executive director of Greenwich Green & Clean, can be reached at 203-531-0006 or [email protected] for questions about the event.

How to join

• When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Where: Greenwich Point Park (Tod's Point). Check in at the parking lot across from the first concession stand.
• Cost: Free. No beach pass needed.
• Register: Pre-registration is encouraged at greenwichgreenandclean.org. Walk-ins are welcome.
• Supplies: Gloves and buckets provided. Bring your own if you prefer.
• Community service: Certificates available on site.

Greenwich Green & Clean posts additional fall volunteer opportunities at greenwichgreenandclean.org.