A resolution celebrating the 40th anniversary of the International Coastal Cleanup.

Bill Number

S.Res. 588

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-01-27: Referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S294)

Last Updated

2026-01-28T15:21:20Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

This Senate resolution (S. Res. 588) aims to recognize and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), a global volunteer initiative started in 1986 to remove trash from beaches and waterways. It highlights the program's achievements in environmental cleanup, data collection, and raising awareness about plastic pollution, while encouraging public participation and efforts to reduce plastic waste at its source.

Key Provisions

The resolution includes a series of "Whereas" clauses providing background on the ICC's history and impact, followed by a "Resolved" section with four main directives for the Senate:

• Celebrate the anniversary: Declares 2025 as the 40th anniversary of the ICC, noting its origins in Texas and expansion to 155 countries and nearly every U.S. state.
• Support ICC goals: Endorses the program's objectives, including volunteer-led cleanups that have removed over 400 million pounds of trash since 1986, with data from nearly 19 million volunteers contributing to the world's largest ocean trash database.
• Encourage participation: Urges people across the United States to join ICC activities, emphasizing that anyone can participate, even inland, to clean up local environments.
• Highlight pollution reduction: Stresses the need to address plastic pollution—over 70% of U.S. ICC trash items are single-use plastics—by producing less plastic, noting that cleanups alone cannot solve the crisis but play a key role.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This is a non-binding resolution with no legal force, so it introduces no changes to existing laws or regulations. It serves as a symbolic expression of Senate support rather than enacting new policies or mandates.

Potential Impacts

• On citizens: May increase public awareness and volunteer participation in environmental cleanups, fostering community involvement and education on ocean trash issues. In 2024, ICC efforts alone collected 7.5 million pounds of trash from over 486,000 volunteers worldwide.
• On government agencies: Could indirectly support state and local governments involved in coordinating cleanups, but imposes no new requirements or funding obligations.
• On international relations: Reinforces U.S. alignment with global environmental efforts, as the ICC operates in 155 countries, potentially strengthening ties with partners like Canada and Mexico (which joined in 1989) through shared citizen science data used in over 43 peer-reviewed studies.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Volunteers and communities: Nearly 19 million participants since 1986, including individuals, families, and local groups benefiting from cleaner beaches and waterways.
• Nonprofit organizations: Primarily Ocean Conservancy (the ICC's lead), which manages data collection via tools like the Clean Swell app and has built a database of over 420 million trash items.
• State and local governments: Involved in coordinating hundreds of U.S. coastal cleanup sites, gaining access to valuable environmental data for policy-making.
• Environmental advocates and scientists: Benefit from the ICC's citizen science contributions, cited in over 290 publications, aiding research on plastic pollution.
• Broader public: Encouraged to take action against plastic waste, potentially influencing consumer behavior toward reducing single-use plastics.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: As a simple resolution, it requires only a majority vote in the Senate and does not need House or presidential approval, carrying no enforceable legal weight but serving as an official congressional statement.
• Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's broad authority to express views on public policy matters, including environmental issues, without infringing on executive or judicial powers.
• Political: Demonstrates bipartisan environmental support (introduced by senators from both parties) and highlights the growing political focus on plastic pollution, potentially influencing future legislation on waste reduction without creating controversy or division.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

Cosponsors (4)

Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD], Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE], Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

Recent Actions

• 2026-01-27: Referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S294)
• 2026-01-27: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the International Coastal Cleanup. — issued 2026-01-27 — PDF (3 pages)