SOLANO COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Solano County’s annual Earth Day Cleanup is April 16. Local residents, students, clubs, organizations, and businesses are encouraged to volunteer at a site to pick up and prevent litter and recyclable beverage containers from flowing downstream into the Pacific Ocean. Most cleanup events begin at 9 a.m. and end by noon. To take part in making Solano County clean and green this Earth Day, visit https://cleanupsolano.org for times and locations.

The City of Dixon will be hosting a cleanup of Stormwater Retention Pond B at the end of Doyle Lane north of East A Street. Vacaville’s cleanup sites are located in Downtown Vacaville at Andrews Park and at the Rocky Hill Trail. Solano County Parks will be facilitating a cleanup at Lake Solano Park. The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District is facilitating cleanups at Lower Ledgewood Creek behind the Fairfield Home Depot as well as Lower Union Avenue Creek at the end of Railroad Avenue in Suisun City. Solano Land Trust will be hosting a cleanup starting at Suisun Hill Bridge on Grizzly Island Road, also in Suisun City.

On the west end of the county, the City of Benicia is also looking forward to receiving volunteers at the Ninth Street Park beach area for a shoreline cleanup. Starting at 10 a.m. due to high tide, the Rio Vista cleanup will begin at Sandy Beach Regional Park and will focus on the shoreline. Vallejo Watershed Alliance is holding its annual cleanup at Blue Rock Springs Creek Corridor below Wardlaw Park. As a result of these events, it is anticipated that at least 400 volunteers will collectively remove approximately 5,000 pounds of trash and recyclable cans and bottles.

Around 80 percent of trash and recyclables flowing into the ocean originates from neighborhoods, community parks, and open spaces. These inland sources include things like food wrappers, straws, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and recyclable bottles and cans. Often, these small items enter storm drains that flow directly into creeks and rivers before draining into the sea. “Solano County residents can help by volunteering at community cleanups, reducing the amount of waste they create, and returning beverage containers to a local recycling center” said Narcisa Untal, Integrated Waste Management Planner with Solano County. Consumers are charged a California Redemption Value (CRV) deposit for certain beverage containers made of glass, plastic or metal. When empty, these CRV containers should be returned to one of 1,200 recycling centers in California for buy-back. Currently, CRV is five cents for each beverage container less than 24 ounces and 10 cents for each container 24 ounces or greater. Untal’s Earth Day reminder is, “the end of every CRV container’s useful can bring ‘change’ to you and the environment.” To find the recycling center closest to you, go to https://recycle.solanocounty.com, click on Recycling Guide, and then Beverage Containers.

In an effort to keep with the spirit of Earth Day, organizers are asking cleanup volunteers to bring their own buckets and gloves to minimize waste from single-use plastic bags and latex gloves. Site Captains will have a limited supply available to ensure the health and safety for all participants. To further this event’s zero waste goal, volunteers are encouraged to track the type and number of items removed using the Ocean Conservancy’s CleanSwell mobile app as an alternative to the usual paper cards provided. The advantage of the CleanSwell app is the collection of real-time data made by Solano County volunteers that informs international researchers of the man-made pollutants threatening our oceans and sea life.

The 2022 Solano County Earth Day Cleanup is sponsored by Solano County Department of Resource Management with additional support provided by the Sierra Club Solano Group, Sprouts Farmers Market in Vacaville, the Solano Center for Volunteer and Non Profit Leadership, 95.3 KUIC, and the California Coastal Commission. Cleanup partners include Solano County Parks, Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District, Vallejo Watershed Alliance, Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District, City of Dixon, City of Benicia, Solano Land Trust, and volunteer site leaders. The Solano RCD coordinates three annual community cleanups on behalf of Solano County, including Earth Day, World Environment Day on June 4, and Coastal Cleanup Day on September 17. Learn more about these cleanups and register for World Environment Day at Lake Solano at cleanupsolano.org.