PRESS RELEASE: Coastal Cleanup in the Sunset on Saturday - 9/16/16

For immediate release: Sept. 16, 2016

Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045 

Community Clean Team Coastal Cleanup in the Sunset on Saturday

Volunteers to Remove Litter from Coastal Areas and Beautify District 4

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – More than 240 volunteers are expected to join Public Works crews and District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang at the Community Clean Team event on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 to support a statewide coastal cleanup initiative.

Volunteers also will work along the Ocean Beach promenade and in the Sunset District neighborhood performing greening and cleaning projects. They will remove weeds and litter, plant more than two dozen trees and paint out graffiti. The work will take place around school grounds, community gardens and commercial corridors.

What: District 4 Community Clean Team coastal cleanup event

Date: Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016

Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (speaking program begins at 9 a.m.)

Location: Sunset Elementary School (1920 -- 41st Ave.)

Who: City crews, Supervisor Katy Tang and community volunteers

Tons of trash get dumped on our coastal land every year. The garbage includes plastic bottles, plastic bags and packaging, food wrappers and cigarette butts – detracting from the natural beauty of the shore and harming wildlife. California Coastal Cleanup is part of an international campaign focused on keeping trash out of oceans, bays, rivers and lakes.

In 2015, more than 68,000 volunteers removed nearly 1,143,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California's beaches and waterways. Public Works’ Community Clean Team has participated in the program for the past 16 years.

Community Clean Team is Public Works’ largest and longest-running volunteer program.  Saturday’s event marks the ninth of 11 Community Clean Team events this season. Each month, the program focuses on a different supervisorial district.  After each workday, volunteers gather together to share a communal meal.

Photo opportunities at Saturday’s event include:

·        Spruce up of the Ocean Beach promenade

·        Plants trees and remove weeds throughout the Sunset

·        Carry out a cleaning blitz along Irving and Taraval streets

·        Paint and plant the Sunset Elementary School grounds

Sponsors and volunteer organizations include: 76, Walgreens, Emerald Fund, Starbucks, The Hilton, Local 261, Recology, United Playaz, Academy of Art University, Luxor Cabs, Larkin Street Youth Service,  San Francisco Clean City Coalition, The Garden Club, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, Project 20 Pretrial Diversion Program, San Francisco Parks Alliance – Clean and Green Crew, SF Geo Care, San Francisco Housing Authority, Tzu-Chi Foundation, Community Youth Center San Francisco, SF Environment, SFPD Academy, Clever, Target, NICE water, PG&E, Blue Shield, Hunters Point Family, Sunset Elementary School and Families of Sunset PTA.

###