East County residents are invited to pull on their boots and gloves, grab a garbage bag and head out to a variety of locales this weekend – Saturday, Sept. 15 – to participate in California Coastal Cleanup Day. The annual beach and inland waterway program is the state’s largest volunteer event. Last year, more than 82,500 volunteers removed more than 1.2 million pounds of trash and recyclables from beaches, lakes and waterways.

Antioch’s cleanup, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon, starts from the Antioch Marina and Fulton Shipyard Road (by the Red Caboose Restaurant). Volunteers who check in at the registration table will be given trash bags, pencils and a special data card to tally the items collected. Wristbands will be distributed and entitle volunteers to a free lunch following the cleanup. For additional information, call 925-325-9897.

The Marsh Creek Cleanup project – in Brentwood and Oakley – has a number of sites tagged for the weekend event. Last year’s event brought out more than 400 volunteers. According to Diane Burgis, executive director of Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed, the numbers are shaping up to be even higher this year. The popular event attracts volunteers for a number of reasons.

“We get church groups, families, individuals and businesses coming out to help,” said Burgis. “And the nice thing about this project is that people come out, they do something and there is an immediate tangible difference that they can see. They feel a sense of ownership and community; that’s what brings them back each year.”

Participants are encouraged to bring a bucket or other reusable/recyclable receptacle for the gathering of trash.

To view the targeted sites, visit the Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed website at www.fomcw.org/creek_cleanup_sites.html. To register for the event, visit www.marshcreekcleanup2012.eventbrite.com.

California Coastal Cleanup Day is also taking place in Rio Vista at Brannan Island State Park, hosted by the Delta Conservancy. Cleanup crews will work from 9 to 11 a.m., and volunteers are still needed.

“If you’ve ever enjoyed this park, or thought about a visit there,” said Conservancy staff member Susan Roberts, “it would be nice if you could stop by to help in this cleanup endeavor. Lots of helping hands makes for a fast sweep of the task.”

For further information, call Roberts at 916-375-2088 or Volunteer Coordinator Andy McGuirk at 415-244-2759.

For a complete list of California Coastal Cleanup sites, log onto www.coastal.ca.gov.