Registration for Clean the Bay Day open

Registration is now open for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s annual Clean the Bay Day, which will be held Saturday, May 2, at cleanup sites across Virginia.

Clean the Bay Day, launched in 1989, is the largest single-day volunteer litter cleanup in the Commonwealth each year. Organizers plan to host more than 200 cleanup locations statewide, including sites in Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore, Northern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Richmond region.

The event has traditionally been held on the first Saturday in June but has been moved this year to the first Saturday in May to allow more people to participate.

“For over three decades, Clean the Bay Day has been a powerful testament to the collective impact of community action,” said Lisa Renée Jennings, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Hampton Roads outreach and advocacy manager. She said the event has helped improve the Bay watershed while raising public awareness about efforts to protect it.

Jennings added that the earlier date may allow more families and schools to take part and could bring favorable spring weather.

Last year, nearly 3,500 volunteers worked alongside more than 70 partner organizations at over 200 cleanup sites, removing more than 70,000 pounds of debris and litter. Since the event began, more than 177,000 volunteers have collected over 7.1 million pounds of debris from waterways and surrounding land.

Clean the Bay Day will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteer registration opened March 9 and will remain open through April 17. Participants may sign up for a cleanup site in their chosen locality.

More information and registration details are available at cbf.org/clean.