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PRESS RELEASE

Above: Participants clean litter from the beach during a previous beach cleanup held at Alamitos Beach.

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM), alongside the Department of Public Works' Litter Free Long Beach, Long Beach Fire Department Junior Lifeguards and community partners including Aquarium of the Pacific and various neighborhood and community associations, will host a post-Independence Day beach and park cleanup on Sunday, July 5, 2026, from 9 to 11 a.m. As Long Beach gears up to celebrate the 250th of the United Sates of America, community members are encouraged to participate in the Independence from Litter cleanup after the big celebration.

"We invite residents to declare their independence from litter by joining us at this patriotic cleanup," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "This is an easy way for folks to show pride in our community and quickly restore popular areas of our coastline after a big holiday rush."

With over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a popular destination for beachgoers. July 4 is typically one of the busiest beach and park days of the year where thousands of residents and visitors gather to celebrate, often resulting in higher volumes of trash and debris left behind. The City is encouraging community members to celebrate Independence Day, then engage in civic stewardship in a meaningful way the next day.

Led by PRM's Adopt a Beach program and facilitated in collaboration with partner organizations, the cleanups will take place simultaneously at the following beach and park locations:

• Junipero Beach Lot, meet near LBFD Lifeguard Headquarters (2100 E. Ocean Blvd.), hosted by Aquarium of the Pacific with support from LBFD's Junior Lifeguards.
• Bluff Park, meet at Lone Sailor Memorial (Paloma Avenue and Ocean Boulevard), led by Litter FreeLB.
• Belmont Memorial Pier Lot (3998 E. Allin St.), led by PRM's Adopt-A-Beach program.

This is a drop-in volunteer opportunity with no registration required. Gloves and trash bags will be provided to volunteers at each site, though participants are encouraged to bring their own reusable supplies, such as work gloves, buckets and grabbers to limit waste. Parking in City lots will be free for volunteers for the duration of the cleanup.

"Every cleanup tells a story. It shows what reaches our waterways, what wildlife may encounter, and what is possible when a community comes together to care for a place. That spirit of stewardship, along with the collaboration with volunteers and our community partners is what gives me hope," said Cassandra Davis, Aquarium of the Pacific director of volunteer services. "Together we can make a difference in our ocean backyard."

"At Long Beach Container Terminal, our commitment to being 'Bigger. Better. Faster. Cleaner. Built to Serve' extends beyond terminal operations and into the community we call home," said Anthony Otto, Chief Executive Officer, Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT). "We are proud to support the Independence from Litter beach cleanup to help keep Long Beach's waterways and beaches clean and healthy."

The Independence from Litter Cleanup is hosted by the City, with additional support from the Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Container Terminal and various community partners including Ship-Shape LB, Surfrider Foundation, Belmont Shore Residents Association, Alamitos Beach Neighborhood Association, Bluff Heights Neighborhood Association, Friends of Bixby Park and Rose Park Neighborhood Association.

For more ways to get involved in PRM's Adopt-A-Beach program, call 562.570.1745.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. More information about the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine is available at LBParks.org and by following us @LongBeachParks on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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