Celebrating Water Quality in OC – City by City!

Join us in celebrating OC’s success in preventing stormwater pollution – City by City! This month, we highlight the City of Rancho Santa Margarita and their ZeroTrash RSM Program.

Look closely – when traveling in and around the City of Rancho Santa Margarita (RSM), have you noticed how little trash you see? This is in large part due to the efforts of the ZeroTrash RSM program, a monthly volunteer cleanup event dedicated to keeping the community free of trash.

The program, spearheaded in 2014 by Mayor Brad McGirr, is responsible for removing trash from local streets, parks, trails, and wilderness areas. Around 60 volunteers meet in the courtyard across from City Hall on the first Saturday of each month and have picked up over 15,000 pounds of trash to date – an amount equal to 750 car tires. That’s 15,000 pounds of trash prevented from entering the storm drain system and eventually reaching our waterways. Unlike sanitary sewers, water that flows into storm drains is NOT treated before it is released into our creeks, rivers, and ocean. If trash makes its way to our waterways, it can negatively impact recreational use, wildlife habitat, and even human health downstream.

Not only has this monthly effort kept the City of Rancho Santa Margarita clean and reduced waste, it’s also provided other community and civic benefits. One of the most satisfying outcomes has been engagement from the City’s youth.  Mayor McGirr recently celebrated their involvement and enthusiasm: “Our ZeroTrash program provides young people a chance to invest some time and effort in their community, teaches them to become environmentally aware, and serves as an opportunity to fulfill requirements for student service hours and scout badges. More importantly, these young people continue to return month after month because they’ve experienced the rewards of selfless volunteerism.”

The ZeroTrash RSM program exemplifies the H₂OC  value of taking personal action to better your community and the environment by preventing pollution from entering our local waterways.

Celebrating Water Quality in OC – Resident by Resident: What Can You Do?

The ZeroTrash RSM program has generated a lot of excitement in the community, and it really shows in this video of a cleanup in action.  If you happen to be in the area while volunteers are hard at work, you may hear cars honking, see bicyclists giving thumbs up, and other passersby shouting out kudos. You too can be part of this local effort by properly disposing of trash and practicing these trash reduction and pollution prevention tips in your everyday life:

• Always secure the lid on trash and recycling bins
• Always throw cigarette butts in a designated ash tray
• Secure loose items in your car so they don’t accidentally blow out the window
• Be aware of your belongings – if you drop something, pick it up
• Spread the word! Tell your friends and family about ways to prevent litter

To get involved in ZeroTrash RSM events and other organized cleanups near you, visit our events calendar.