Volunteer group photo





WSU Extension > Island County > Natural Resources > CLCP Beach Litter Volunteer Opportunities

CLCP Beach Litter Volunteer Opportunities

What is CLCP?

The CLCP Community Litter Cleanup Program is a beach-litter cleanup program. The purpose of this is to remove litter and illegally dumped materials from our public beaches and to educate the community on the prevention of litter on our shores.  This is a grant-funded program funded by the Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE), supported by Island County, and managed by WSU Extension Island County. For some DATA of last year’s cleanups (2024): our volunteers collected over 5,000 pounds of litter, 70 lbs. of recyclable materials, and over 6,000 plastic spent shotgun wads. Also collected are the many laughs and friendships created along the shores, as our amazing volunteers work the shores and sands to take care of our beautiful Island County beaches. 

Who can volunteer?

Anyone can volunteer (18 yrs. and older) as often or as seldom as they wish. There are two ways a volunteer can participate: 1) Organized cleanups are currently every Tuesday, early afternoon.  2) To clean beaches independently, call the extension office for a Purple Card.  We can provide grabbers, bags, gloves, and the Purple Card to cover your disposal fees. Contact WSU Extension IC at 360-639-6060 or email jana.mcgehee@wsu.edu if you have any questions.  Please join us. ANYONE 18 or older can do this! You can participate often or occasionally; totally up to you and your schedule.

  • Open to all adults eighteen or older
  • Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over driftwood.
  • WSU provides the necessary bags, gloves, and other equipment.
  • One-day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass.
  • The schedule may change due to adverse weather conditions
Cleanup Schedule
November 2025
NEWSLETTER Spring 2025

How do I get involved?

Contact our office: CLCP Coordinator: jana.mcgehee@wsu.edu, or call the WSU Extension Island County office at 360-639-6060.

We would love to add you to our CLCP volunteer email list.

We will send weekly beach cleanup reminders, along with other CLCP information.

Photo image of person holding beach litter collected from beach
Volunteers at beach cleanup event
Volunteers dedicated to surrounding beach areas.
Group photo of volunteers

Purple Card for Individual Cleanup Activities

We have a Purple Card option! If you live near the beach and conduct cleanup of the beach, you can deliver beach debris to the transfer station without any charge. Contact the WSU Extension office for more information on this Purple Card.

If you already have a Purple Card, don’t forget to record the beach trash and any recycleables you collect from the beach on this Beach Tracker form.

What are we focused on?

Shotgun Wad Collection

Here in Island County, we have an issue with plastic shotgun wads on our beaches. This hard plastic wad ejects out over the water after firing, making it a challenge to retrieve. The plastic wads end up on beaches in our area. They are problematic because marine animals can ingest them, and they become part of the microplastic problem. In 2024 the CLCP volunteers collected over 6,000 plastic wads. A solution is to have more biodegradable wads available to the overwater hunters and shooting community. The CLCP volunteers, WSU Extension, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are working on this issue.

Image of plastic garbage

Some of the more than 6,000 plastic shotgun wads found on Whidbey Island beaches in 2024.