Project AWARE Kids Mission 1

When you clean up at home, it’s a chore. But International Cleanup Day is a huge event that attracts thousands of people to lakes, rivers and oceans of the world every September. Know why? Because cleaning up the aquatic environment is cool and fun, too! But you don’t have to wait until September, you can organize a cleanup any day of the week.

By cleaning up along the shoreline, you can make your favorite hangout a prettier place and help prevent junk from entering the water. So get your family and friends involved and help protect the planet. Your AWARE Kids’ mission is to follow these few simple steps:

1. Choose a shoreline area you think needs cleaning. Set a date with at least one adult to go collect trash from the area. If possible, plan this on a day when a cleanup event is already scheduled near you.

2. The day before your cleanup date, get prepared. Make sure you have comfortable shoes and clothes to suit the mission and sunblock if needed. Gather together gloves (to protect your hands from yucky rubbish), trash bags (a separate bag for recycling and trash are preferred), pencils, paper, water and snacks.

3. When you arrive at the cleanup location, let the good times roll! Begin collecting rubbish and recording on paper what you find. Place the trash in one bag and the recyclable items in another.

4. Send Project AWARE a tally sheet of the types and numbers of items you picked up. Tell us about the most common items you found, the weirdest piece of rubbish you picked up and the absolute grossest thing you collected. Finally, report the total estimated weight of trash you picked up. Send us a photo of yourself in action!