The Keep It Beachy Clean program started in 2015 with a collaboration between Clean Virginia Waterways, who was beginning a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (though a grant from Keep America Beautiful) and the GREEN Committee to the Resort Advisory Commission, who was working on a Clean Beaches Program. Both groups worked together to create a campaign with a positive vibe that would educate beach visitors. Keep It Beachy Clean was born!

From 2015 - 2019, the Keep It Beachy Clean program reached thousands of beach visitors through educational signage in hotels and restaurants, stickers on beach trash cans, signs in beach trolleys, kids’ activity sheets, magnets, window clings and bumper stickers.

With the help of many partners, we’ve been able to expand and reach even more people at the beach and beyond. Videos were created by our friends at The Vacation Channel to be shared in hotel rooms throughout the oceanfront. Keep It Beachy Clean hosted a Straw-Free Earth Day in Virginia Beach in 2018 then partnered with askhrgreen.org to expand it throughout Hampton Roads in 2019. Keep It Beachy Clean partnered with many organizations throughout the years to organize beach cleanups at the Oceanfront including Virginia Beach Hotel Association, Virginia Beach Restaurant Association, Lynnhaven River NOW, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Virginia Beach Waste Management, ViBe Creative District, Team Yellow, WINDsdays and more,

In 2020, the VB Resort Advisory Commission approved the placement of 4 beach toy recycling boxes at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Of course, due to the pandemic, that project was put on hold. But now, in 2024, 4 boxes have been constructed and will finally be placed at the beach (more info here).

We are looking forward to expanding the Keep It Beachy Clean throughout Hampton Roads and beyond! Thank you for visiting our website!