The San Diego Port Tenants Association and its members are getting ready to roll up their sleeves, put on their work gloves and clean up San Diego Bay and its shorelines in the 29th annual Operation Clean Sweep, taking place Saturday, August 24, 2019.
Working alongside these volunteers will be Port of San Diego employees, their families and friends, as well as members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. The public is invited to participate, and all will be treated to an after-party sponsored by the San Diego Port Tenants Association.
This year there will be five public cleanup sites and 14 tenant-managed sites (including one hosted by the Coronado Yacht Club. The public sites are:
- Barrio Logan – start time is 8:30 a.m., meet at Cal Marine Cleaning, 2049 Main Street, San Diego. This is a family-oriented cleanup site.
- Chollas Creek – start time is 8:30 a.m., meet at Pacific Ship Repair, 1625 Rigel Street. It is recommended that only those 18 years old and up participate in this site.
- Half Moon Marina – start time is 8:30 a.m., meet at Half Moon Marina, 2323 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. This is a family-oriented site.
- Marina View Park – start time is 8:30 a.m., meet at Marina View Park, 900 Marina Parkway, Chula Vista. This is a family-oriented site.
- Pepper Park – start time is 8:30 a.m., meet at Pepper Park, 3299 Tidelands Avenue, National City. This is a family-oriented site.
Volunteers will receive an Operation Clean Sweep t-shirt, gloves, trash bags and water. Doughnuts will also be provided. To register online go to the San Diego Port Tenants Association website. If you prefer to register in person, please show up at your preferred location at 8 a.m.
The after-party takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Park, 1449 Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, San Diego. The party will feature prizes for the most unusual trash, raffles, a taco stand, beverages, photo booth, live DJ and more. Pollution Pirate Pete, who stars in the Port’s latest environmental campaign, #ThatsMyBay, will also be at the after party. He’ll be giving away prizes and advocating about keeping trash out of the bay.
“Operation Clean Sweep is a great community event that benefits the environment of San Diego Bay and its shorelines immensely,” said Garry Bonelli, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The Port is grateful to the San Diego Port Tenants Association for executing this event for 29 years and to all the volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to help keep the bay clean.”
Last year, 1,225 volunteers registered for the 2018 Operation Clean Sweep. Those volunteers removed nearly 47,000 pounds of trash and debris from San Diego Bay, its shorelines and Chollas Creek, which drains into San Diego Bay. Dozens of bicycles were pulled from the water, along with shopping carts, household appliances, tires, a toilet and a large chunk of a drydock.
Operation Clean Sweep is sponsored by the San Diego Port Tenants Association, the Port of San Diego, Navy Region Southwest, the United States Coast Guard, Edco Waste & Recycling Services, San Diego Gas & Electric and dozens of Port Tenant businesses.
