Submitted by Friends of the San Juans.

It takes a village to clean an island! The Great Islands Clean-up is back! In honor of National Public Lands Day, join your fellow islanders for the 2021 Fall Great Islands Clean-up on Sept. 25. This one-day household or individual effort is an opportunity for our community to get outside, connect with our home, and participate in the longevity of our islands’ natural habitats.

From what started as small community efforts to pick up trash, has now become a countywide event supported by San Juan County Public Works and various other organizations that are dedicated to keeping the tradition of beach and road cleanups alive. It really does take a village to make this happen!

If you would like to be assigned a pick-up location on San Juan Island, contact Katherine Dietzman at kdietzman@gmail.com to sign-up for beaches and Angie Light at angie.b.light@gmail.com to sign-up for roads.

Due to the current status of COVID-19, we ask that participants contribute only with their pods or households and wear masks when around others.

Bags, grabbers, safety vests, and gloves will be available at the San Juan County Public Works office at 915 Spring S. on Monday through Friday, Sept. 20-24 during regular business hours. Borrowed materials will need to be returned the following week.

Litter picked-up on San Juan Island can be dropped off free of charge from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Lautenbach Transfer Station at 212 Sutton Road. Participants who drop off their trash at the Transfer Station on September 25 will be entered in a raffle to win some awesome prizes! These prizes will include a $50 gift certificate to the SJI Food Co-op, a zero-waste kit, a pair of Alpaca socks from The Farm at Krystal Acres, handmade pottery from Lot 4 Studios, and more!

Visit www.plasticfreesalishsea.org/events for more information about the Great Islands Clean-up events happening on Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw Island.