HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Clean the Bay Day is back after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Virginia’s long-running annual litter cleanup will return the first week of June after the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) had to cancel the tradition for the first time since the event began in 1989.
According to officials, the new format will allow volunteers to take action on their own time and pace at any convenient location, then log results online.
Previously, it was a tradition in its 31-year existence that on the first Saturday in June thousands of volunteers gather at hundreds of cleanup sites across Virginia and recover over 100,000 pounds of litter every year. This year, rather than a one-day event, Clean the Bay Day will run from May 31 through June 5.
Organizers say volunteers are encouraged to post videos and photos on social media and enter to win prizes by using the hashtag #CleanTheBayDay. Prizes will be provided in several categories, including best photo and best video. CBF’s Clean the Bay Day thanks REI, North End Bag Company, Virginia State Parks, Taste Unlimited, Rogue Oysters, and Chessie Seafood & Aquafarm for donating prizes.
“The reimagined Clean the Bay Day makes it easier than ever for people to pitch in to restore their local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay,” said CBF Clean the Bay Day Coordinator Kristin Webb. “Have a few minutes free? Grab a trash bag and gloves and do a litter cleanup in your neighborhood. Want to get out of the house with the kids? Do a cleanup in a local public park.”
Those interested in volunteering can find more information or register here.. Registration and reporting results are required to participate and win prizes.
