Summer of 2025: Global Beach Clean-Ups Making Waves

As the summer sun rises higher and longer in 2025, beaches worldwide are bustling—not just with sunbathers and surfers, but with passionate volunteers determined to protect our oceans. From Bali to Barcelona, this summer marks a powerful global movement: beach clean-ups that are restoring coastlines and inspiring communities to act for the planet.

A Worldwide Wave of Action

This summer, beach clean-ups have become more than just events—they're evolving into festivals of environmental stewardship. Local NGOs, surf clubs, diving teams, and school groups are teaming up with global organizations to host clean-ups that blend activism with celebration.

In California, hundreds gathered at Santa Monica and Ocean Beach as part of the Surfrider Foundation's Summer Sweep, removing over 20,000 pounds of waste in June alone. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, coastal villages in Palawan and Siargao joined the International Coastal Cleanup series, targeting microplastics that wash ashore from busy shipping lanes.

Over in Europe, the Mediterranean Sea Alliance organized synchronized clean-ups across Greece, Italy, and Spain, turning July into a month-long campaign to raise awareness about ghost gear and plastic pollution. In Kenya, communities around Diani Beach came together for the Clean Coast Kenya initiative, where volunteers collected plastic bottles, fishing nets, and even car tires.

Youth Leading the Charge

One standout trend of 2025 is the surge of youth leadership in coastal activism. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving much of the momentum, using platforms like TikTok and Instagram to mobilize peers, fundraise, and share the impact of each clean-up.

Groups like Bye Bye Plastic Bags, founded by young sisters in Bali, are seeing record-breaking turnout this summer, with over 10,000 volunteers across Southeast Asia participating in coordinated clean-ups. Young eco-influencers are also teaming up with scientists to educate followers on the connection between plastic pollution, climate change, and marine biodiversity.

The Power of Local Partnerships

Behind the scenes, local businesses and governments are playing a crucial role. In Brazil, beachfront cafés in Rio de Janeiro are offering discounts for patrons who join clean-up events. In Australia, surf shops along the Gold Coast are providing gear and incentives for community efforts. These partnerships help bridge the gap between environmental goals and day-to-day life.

Turning Trash into Treasure

A creative twist to many of this summer’s clean-ups is the rise of upcycling projects. Collected materials are being transformed into art installations, eco-bricks, and even fashion pieces. In Cape Town, a youth art collective is turning beach waste into public sculptures that tell the story of marine conservation. These projects help change the narrative from despair to hope—showing what’s possible when waste is seen as a resource.

Global Beach Clean-Up Highlights for Summer 2025:

🇯🇵 Japan – Tokyo Bay Revival Project

In Tokyo, the Umi no Hi (Marine Day) celebration this July was paired with a massive clean-up effort along Tokyo Bay. Volunteers focused on removing floating plastics and urban runoff, while also educating attendees on Japan’s new circular economy laws that aim to reduce single-use plastics by 40% by 2030.

🇲🇽 Mexico – Riviera Maya Reef Relief

Along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, volunteers in Tulum and Playa del Carmen organized beach and underwater clean-ups to protect the Mesoamerican Reef. Divers worked with marine biologists to retrieve fishing lines and plastics from coral-rich areas, helping preserve marine habitats critical to local tourism and biodiversity.

🇨🇦 Canada – Great Lakes Shoreline Sweep

In Ontario, a coalition of Indigenous communities and environmental groups led a clean-up spanning multiple points along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The initiative highlights how inland waterways also feed into ocean pollution and emphasizes the interconnection of water systems.

🇳🇬 Nigeria – Lagos Coastal Watch

In Lagos, the EcoChampions Youth Network held recurring Saturday clean-ups on Tarkwa Bay Beach, supported by local artists and musicians. Each event ends with beachside concerts and eco-education talks to inspire ongoing community care.

🇳🇿 New Zealand – Aotearoa Coastal Guardians

In partnership with Māori communities, a national effort to clean beaches from Northland to the Otago Peninsula launched this January and continues through summer. Focus is placed on collecting marine debris and preserving native flora, with cultural ceremonies opening each event to honor the land and sea.

🇫🇯 Fiji – Pacific Islands Plastic Patrol

Island nations like Fiji are hit hard by marine debris. This summer, village-based clean-ups supported by Pacific Ocean Alliance are combining traditional knowledge with new waste-tracking technologies to map where the trash is coming from and how to intercept it.

🇫🇷 France – Côte d’Azur Plastic-Free Campaign

The glamorous beaches of the French Riviera aren’t immune to plastic pollution. Municipalities from Nice to Saint-Tropez are running weekly community clean-ups, led by local scuba clubs and schools, followed by beach yoga sessions and sustainability markets.

🇮🇳 India – Versova Beach, Mumbai

Known for one of the world’s largest beach clean-up efforts, Versova Beach continues to lead by example in 2025. Coordinated by environmental lawyer Afroz Shah and thousands of volunteers, the campaign is expanding to nearby mangrove forests and riverbanks, aiming to stop the flow of waste before it reaches the sea.

🇵🇹 Portugal – Algarve Coastal Care

Tourism hotspots like Lagos and Faro have joined forces for the Algarve Coastal Care campaign. Volunteers sweep beaches daily, while vacation rental companies now offer discounts to guests who participate in scheduled clean-up walks.

🇹🇿 Tanzania – Zanzibar Green Coast Project

On the spice island of Zanzibar, the Green Coast Project is bringing eco-tourists and local youth together to clean up the island’s stunning beaches while learning about sea turtle nesting sites and coral reef conservation.