Photo credit: Anh Truong Craver / @Wave.cravers
The Fourth of July brings over one million visitors to enjoy San Diego’s coastline. But, unfortunately it also leaves behind a mess the morning after. For the past 19 years, our Chapter has welcomed hundreds of volunteers on July 5th to ensure that one day of celebrations does not turn into decades of pollution in our ocean and our beaches.
Nine Sites, Seven Partners, Hundreds of Friends, One Mission.
Cleanups were hosted at nine high-traffic holiday locations across the county, including our first-ever July 5th cleanup in downtown San Diego at Seaport Village. From Imperial Beach to Oceanside, over 800 volunteers, alongside seven supporting organizations, collected over 2,617 pounds of trash.
Photo credit: Annie Hafer. Executive Committee member, Vicki Conlon, and participants of the July 5th Seaport Village Cleanup.
Since its onset, Morning After Mess cleanups have been a collaborative effort with closely aligned organizations and local groups. This year, with the support of new and long-time partners, we continue to expand our reach and amplify our mission across our coastline, especially during a time where it is needed the most. So our deep gratitude to Bountiful Bags, I Love A Clean San Diego, Paddle For Peace, Sally’s Waterfront Dining, San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative, San Diego Coastkeeper, and San Diego River Park Foundation for being part of this year’s event.
Of course, it goes without saying that the most vital component to every year’s Morning After Mess are the dedicated activists and volunteers who come out to meet us on the sand and our public spaces to not only cleanup during the dirtiest beach day, but to be an example of environmental stewardship that create long-lasting ripples in our communities. Thank you to each of the 866 amazing people who came out to make this possible once more.
Photo credit: Moses Farrow. Volunteers attending the Imperial Beach cleanup on July 5th.
What We Like to See, Larger Turnouts + Smaller Hauls
Despite collecting 1,300 pounds less than last year, this year’s effort saw nearly 200 more volunteers than 2024. These are the type of numbers we like to see, and what our Chapter’s Beach Cleanup Program is ultimately hoping to achieve – more people coming out to show their support for our coastlines and then leaving with increasingly smaller bags of trash at the end of each cleanup.
On not-so-good news, plastics continued to be the overwhelming majority waste collected during July 5th. Just like at any other of our monthly cleanups over 75% of what was collected was plastic, with cigarette butts, plastic and foam fragments, and plastic wrappers topping the list. Still, that is a 5% decrease to last year’s numbers!
Here are the totals for each site, and their respective impact reports:
- Fiesta Island – with I Love A Clean San Diego: 751 lbs
- OB Dog Beach & Estuary – with The San Diego River Park Foundation: 700 lbs
- Mission Beach – with San Diego Coastkeeper: 254 lbs
- Oceanside – 234 lbs
- Pacific Beach – with Paddle for Peace: 173 lbs
- Ocean Beach – 169 lbs
- Moonlight Beach – with The Bountiful Bag & San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative: 135 lbs
- Seaport Village – with Sally’s Waterfront Dining 125 lbs
- Imperial Beach – 76 lbs
Let's Get Trashy
As can be expected, the 5th is the only time of the year when fireworks debris is close to the top of the list (for most locations). Moreover, this year we recorded a significantly higher number of firework waste than last year – with 2,155 pieces of firework debris found this year compared to 865 pieces in 2024. While the large amount of fireworks debris collected might be a holiday-specific occurrence at most beaches and public spaces, that is not the case for Mission Bay, where debris and chemicals left behind from fireworks shows launched on Fiesta Island pose significant threats to wildlife, water quality, humans, and pets. This is why our Chapter and San Diego Coastkeeper invite everyone to take action and help us keep Mission Bay clean and safe by logging findings of firework debris.
Photo Credit: I Love A Clean San Diego / @iloveacleansd. Fireworks waste found at Fiesta Island by I Love A Clean San Diego volunteers on July 5th.
More than a Beach Cleanup
“Today marked the 19th Annual Morning After Mess cleanup. While we take pride in organizing this event each year, I genuinely look forward to the day we don’t have to wake up early to clean up after the Fourth of July. It’s still one of the dirtiest beach days of the year. Our ocean deserves better. And while progress is possible, we need more people to commit to real, habitual change—not just on holidays, but every day. We all need to do better. Our beaches depend on it.” – Joana Guerra, Chapter Manager, Surfrider Foundation Chapter Manager.
Photo Credit: Moses Farrow. July 5th Imperial Beach Cleanup Site Team and Chapter Manager, Joana Guerra (Center Left).
Just like with every other beach cleanup hosted by our Chapter, Morning After Mess cleanups have always been more than just an event to remove litter from our coastlines and public spaces; they’re a moment to reflect on the choices we make and the impact we have on the places we cherish. More importantly, cleanups are often the first step for many on their journey toward a deeper commitment to environmental protection and advocacy, and we're so proud to be there, at the starting point.
Become a Friend of the Ocean
Become a Friend of the Ocean by becoming a Surfrider member. Your donation directly supports our local efforts to protect our coast, funding cleanups like the Morning After Mess, driving grassroots advocacy, and powering year-round campaigns for clean water and plastic-free beaches. Join us today and help ensure San Diego’s ocean, waves, and beaches are protected for future generations.
Morning After Mess in the News
Times of San Diego: https://timesofsandiego.com/life/2025/07/04/volunteer-cleanup-july-4-dirtiest-beach-day/
San Diego Tribune: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/05/volunteers-remove-over-800-pounds-of-trash-from-ob-beaches-in-post-july-4-cleanup/
NBC7 San Diego: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/volunteers-clean-up-morning-after-mess-on-san-diego-beaches/3862437/
FOX 5 San Diego: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/coastal/volunteers-remove-over-2600-pounds-of-trash-from-san-diego-beaches-post-fourth-of-july/