diRtbag clean-up week
april 17-22

After-School Clean-Ups:
Monday-Friday (April 17-21)
3:30-5:30  Elementary school students
4:15-5:30 HMS and HHS students
Please note different start times for elementary, middle and high school students due to different school release times. 

Beach Clean-Up and Awards Celebration: 
Saturday April 22
11:00-2:30

Virtual Clean-Up
Unable to join us at these times? Trash bags, gloves, and Homer maps will be available at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies so you can pick up trash on your own time. Tag us in your photos to participate! 

Join HoWL Earth-Day week for the annual DiRtBaG Clean-up!
​
​Youth ages 9-19 are invited to meet after school at the Bishops Beach green Monday-Friday where they will be assigned teams and dispatched around town to clean up our beaches and roadways. Snacks and t-shirts will be provided. On Saturday, we will clean up trash around Bishop's Beach. At 12:00pm we will celebrate the 2023 clean-up in the Bishop's Pavilion with provided lunch and an awards ceremony for the youth who have contributed their time and energy over the week. Youth can earn prizes for picking up the most trash, getting the dirtiest, or having shown exceptional enthusiasm/commitment. 

If you intend to participate in DiRtBaGs, please register for free below. Registration helps HoWL prepare adequate transportation and snacks for the clean-ups. 

Want to help with clean-up week? We need volunteers to drive youth crews during clean-up week, as well as some enthusiastic trash-haulers, beach supervisors, and ceremony assistants. You can also donate snacks for our after-school pick up days. 

Email us for more information about this Homer tradition or to volunteer!  

Thank you to 100 Women Who Care for supporting HoWL's 2022 DiRtBaG program! 

How to participate in dirtbag clean-up week

1. Register for a clean-up 

2. Sign the 2023 DiRtBaG waiver form (youth must have a signed waiver to participate in DiRtBaGs). Click here for a printable 2023 DiRtBaG waiver form. Email the waiver to howl@howlalaska.org or bring it to the event. Copies will be available at drop-off as well. 

3. Consider collecting pledges for the trash you pick up. DiRtBaG participants can earn a HoWL scholarship by donating their pledge money to the DiRtBaG Scholarship fund. Pledges are often earned per bag of trash. You can download a pledge sheet here. Youth are responsible for collecting pledge money from their donors following the clean-ups.