Trash Free Gulf campaign seeking volunteers for Memorial Day weekend cleanup in San Antonio

Trash that hits Alamo City storm drains doesn’t stay here. The San Antonio River’s watershed eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico, meaning our litter also spoils the beauty of the Texas Coast.

Trash strewn along riverbanks or that washes into storm sewers often ends up carried to the Texas Gulf. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / John Hoey

However, this Saturday, Alamo City residents can devote part of their Memorial Day weekend to cutting off that pipeline. 

Trash Free Gulf, a campaign organized by Gulf Trust and sponsored by H-E-B’s Our Texas Our Future initiative, is planning a local cleanup at the South Side’s Camino Coahuilteca trail in partnership with Keep San Antonio Beautiful.

In 2025 — its first year of operation — Trash Free Gulf collected 34,000 pounds of trash across Texas. This year, the campaign aims to collect 45,000 additional pounds across 60 statewide cleanups and it’s already coordinated dozens in locales such as Austin, Houston and El Paso

What’s more, Trash Free Gulf will share data such as type and volume of trash from the cleanups with Keep Texas Beautiful, which researches best practices for litter reduction and develops community programs to prevent it from reaching the coast.

Those interested in assisting with efforts at Camino Coahuilteca can register online for Saturday’s cleanup, which will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. They can also find other events across the state. 


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