A cleanup at Fort Trumbull in New London, CT on August 8, 2026. Photo by Judy Benson
Dozens of community cleanups are scheduled through November, giving volunteers more opportunities to protect waterways and the Long Island Sound watershed
Save the Sound’s 2026 Cleanup season is officially underway, with volunteers already turning out at beaches, parks, rivers, and other waterways across the region. The first cleanup of the season, held August 8 at Fort Trumbull in New London, brought together an enthusiastic group of volunteers who removed 102.6 pounds of litter from the area.
With cleanups scheduled throughout August, September, October, and into November, Save the Sound is inviting people across the region to get outside, give back to their communities, and help protect the Long Island Sound watershed. Upcoming cleanups will take place at locations ranging from beaches and riverbanks to parks and urban waterways, giving volunteers opportunities to make a difference close to home.
“Every cleanup is an opportunity for people to take direct action for the places they care about,” said Annalisa Paltauf, Connecticut and New York cleanup coordinator at Save the Sound. “We’re excited to see the momentum already building this season, and we hope people will find a cleanup near them to join us. Whether you come with friends, family, coworkers, or on your own, every piece of litter removed helps protect our waterways, the wildlife that depends on them, and our days at the beach and the park.”
Litter that reaches Connecticut’s waterways can threaten wildlife, degrade habitats, and eventually make its way into Long Island Sound. Removing that debris before it enters the water helps create cleaner, healthier shorelines, rivers, parks, and communities.
Save the Sound is also an International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Coordinator for Connecticut. The International Coastal Cleanup engages millions of volunteers around the world in removing trash from beaches and waterways and documenting what they find. Since its beginning, more than 19 million volunteers have collected more than 400 million pounds of trash through the global effort.
Volunteers use the Clean Swell app to record the types and amounts of trash collected during cleanups. The information collected provides more than a snapshot of litter in a particular location. Save the Sound uses cleanup data to better understand pollution trends and advocate policy change to reduce pollution at its source.
“Cleanups don’t just make our communities look better—they give us valuable information about the pollution affecting our waterways,” said Paltauf. “By documenting what we find, volunteers are helping us build a clearer picture of the litter problem and informing the work needed to stop trash before it reaches our environment.”
Among the many upcoming Connecticut cleanups are events at Waterford Town Beach, the Farmington River, Branford Point, Greenwich Point Park, Long Wharf in New Haven, Bluff Point in Groton, Hammonasset Beach, Fort Trumbull, Cove Island Park, and locations throughout the state.
The season offers opportunities to clean waterways from the water itself. Save the Sound is hosting kayak cleanups, including efforts along the Saugatuck River, where paddlers can reach floating and shoreline debris that may be difficult to access from land, with the next one happening on September 5. These unique cleanups give volunteers a chance to experience their local waterways from a different perspective while helping remove litter before it can travel downstream and into Long Island Sound.
Save the Sound is also expanding its cleanup efforts across the Long Island Sound region this fall. As a Cleanup Captain for the New York State Beach Cleanup, Save the Sound will host cleanups at Flint Park in Larchmont on September 19, coinciding with International Coastal Cleanup Day, and at Gold Star Beach in Huntington on October 31.
Our cleanups are made possible this year by Habitat Hero sponsors Subaru of New England, FactSet Charitable Foundation, and Tauck Tours, and Coastal Crusader sponsors Arvinas and Neuberger Berman.
The 2026 Cleanup season currently includes more than 70 scheduled volunteer cleanups, 30 of which are open to the public, running into November. Additional opportunities are possible as the season continues.
Community members can find an upcoming cleanup near them and sign up at savethesound.org/2026cleanups.