Save the Sound Launches 2026 Cleanup Season at New Haven's Long Wharf

Save the Sound Kicks Off 2026 Cleanup Season with Earth Day Event at New Haven's Long Wharf

Save the Sound will open its 2026 coastal cleanup season with a free public event at the Canal Dock Boathouse at Long Wharf Park in New Haven on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The event is co-hosted with the University of New Haven's COASTS program, which is based at the same waterfront facility and focuses on marine environmental education and community outreach.

Registration is available through the organization's website, with a confirmation email providing specific meeting location and parking details.

2025 Season: 11,541 Pounds Removed at 98 Events

Save the Sound released its 2025 cleanup data on March 18, 2026, ahead of the new season's launch. Last year's program drew 2,414 volunteers who collected 11,541 pounds of trash across 98 events at beaches, lakes, and parks throughout Connecticut and New York.

The four most commonly collected items were cigarette butts (18,321), bottle caps (12,718), food wrappers (10,741), and small plastic pieces (8,067) — a top-four ranking that has remained consistent for nine years, reflecting persistent patterns in urban litter and shoreline debris.

"Cleanups like these have many environmental benefits, such as removing items that can leach chemicals into the ground and our waterways and preventing discarded fishing lines from entangling wildlife," said Annalisa Paltauf, Save the Sound's Connecticut & New York Cleanup Coordinator. "It has a real impact, brings people together, and encourages good stewardship of our region."

UNH COASTS Partnership at Canal Dock Boathouse

The University of New Haven's COASTS program — Community Opportunities for Assessing Science Training on the Sound — operates from the Robert M. Lee & Linda M. Wilkins Marine Science Center at the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf Drive. The program connects Greater New Haven residents to Long Island Sound through guided nature walks, hands-on marine science activities, cyanotype art made from debris, and partnerships with local schools.

The co-location of Save the Sound's kickoff event and UNH COASTS programming creates an opportunity for participants to engage with both a community cleanup effort and marine science education in the same location.

International Coastal Cleanup Since 2002

Save the Sound has served as the official Connecticut coordinator for Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup since 2002. Over the past eight years, volunteers with the program have collected more than half a million pieces of trash from beaches, parks, and rivers across the region. Globally, the International Coastal Cleanup has mobilized more than 11.5 million volunteers and removed over 210 million pounds of trash from approximately 390,000 miles of shoreline.

Save the Sound operates as part of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, which formed through a 2004 merger with the original Save the Sound organization. The group's broader work includes water quality monitoring at more than 200 beaches around Long Island Sound, ecological restoration projects — including the West River in New Haven — and advocacy on climate resilience and land conservation.

In December 2025, the EPA and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded nearly $12 million in grants for Long Island Sound cleanup and restoration projects.

Additional cleanup events in the region include an April 26 event at Six Lakes Park in Hamden from noon to 2:00 p.m.

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