San Rafael Clean Programs

Check out our Activities!

San Rafael Clean (SRC) is a small but energetic group that attacks the problem of litter in our city using a variety of strategies. SRC coalition members bring diverse resources and skills to this challenge. We need your ideas and talents, too! Please learn more about our projects below, and join us at any of our monthly meetings. Contact us to find out more.

Cleanups
  • Click here to see the list of local cleanups where you can participate! 
  • SRC leads cleanups at litter hotspots around the city as part of national days of service, Earth Day in April and California Coastal Cleanup Day in September. Click here to see our list of recommended cleanups in Marin.
  • SRC acts as a resource for, and helps promote the efforts of, community leaders wanting to mobilize neighbors to keep an area of the city clean.
  • SRC has collaborated with the Canal Alliance on cleanup and awareness projects in the Canal neighborhood, an area that faces significant litter and dumping problems.
  • Individual SRC members lead cleanup efforts in areas near the freeway where litter collects through the CalTrans “Adopt-a-Spot” program.
  • SRC invites residents to take our Individual Litter Pledge and help clean up at any opportunity. Keep a trash bag handy in your purse or pack and before you know it, you’ll have a new “clean” habit!
Cigarette Litter Campaign

SRC raises awareness about the pervasive cigarette litter problem through education and outreach efforts.

  • In 2011, the group distributed 20,000 educational coasters featuring SRC mascot Oscar the Bulldog to local bars and restaurants.
  • SRC conducts outreach at events like the Bay Area Trash Summit, Kick Butt Day in the Plaza, and the Farmer’s Market.
  • Freeway banners alert drivers to the hazards of tossed butts, such as fires, and SRC ads in local papers educate readers about the problem.
  • SRC makes it easy for smokers to dispose of butts responsibly by providing street receptacles and pocket ashtrays.

SRC pilots innovative programs to involve the community, raise awareness and reduce cigarette litter.

  • In 2013 the famous Cigarette Eater Meter took the city by storm as the educational art installation attracted viewers in the downtown city plaza over a period of three months.
  • The Downtown Streets Team has taken butt collection and recycling to the next level. In 2014 DST engaged the homeless to remove and recycle one million cigarette butts from the streets.
Clean Business Program

Businesses throughout San Rafael are joining together to beautify and reinvigorate the business corridors. It’s a no brainer! Help create a more inviting and environmentally friendly shopping experience for your customers and the community and receive free promotion for your business on the SRC website. Take the Clean Business Pledge and sign up today!

Education

SRC partners with schools and other businesses and organizations to educate youth about the environmental impact of litter with the goal of instilling an ethic of stewardship and reducing litter on school grounds and the community at large.

We welcome inquiries from teachers and informal educators and look forward to providing resources and support for service-learning and classroom projects about litter. Contact us here.

From 2007-09 SRC partnered with the Marin Conservation Corps, Marin Sanitary Service, Green Sangha, Americorps, parent volunteers, and the City of San Rafael Volunteer Program to provide free classroom programs throughout San Rafael elementary schools and Davidson Middle School. This program is not currently active.