See you Sat., Dec 21!

Please volunteer for our Third Saturday neighborhood litter cleanup on December 21. We will meet up at the El Sobrante Library, 4191 Appian Way, at 10 AM to select a location to clean with other volunteers, borrow equipment (grabbers, gloves, safety vests, buckets, bags, etc.), if needed (or bring your own) and help pick up litter until noon. Then, return the equipment and enjoy some light refreshments provided for our volunteers. 

The next ES MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 7 PM at the ES Library. Be there for all the updates and to share your ideas. You can also attend by zoom.

Since it’s the rainy season and the storm drains in our streets and creeks flow to the ocean, we are asking the community to volunteer a couple of hours at a time to adopt a storm drain to keep clear to prevent street flooding and help collect litter and trash around El Sobrante’s storm drains. 

Have you noticed the improvements around town? Let’s keep the momentum rolling! Our next monthly Third Saturday Cleanup of street litter is Dec 21, 10 AM at El Sobrante Public Library, 4191 Appian Way. Bring the whole family. We can use as many volunteers as we can get! We have all the gear, all you have to do is — be here! Can you help?

Report illegal dumpers via Mobile Citizen App.

Green Team volunteers are working to move around, re-plant and maintain the big flower planters in Downtown El Sobrante, along San Pablo Dam Rd. We need sponsors and volunteers to pull things together on this and other fun, local projects. Email [email protected] if you can help us out.

Who is Green Team 94803?

We are your neighbors and volunteers who want to Keep El Sobrante Clean and Beautiful. We meet on the Third Saturday every month at 10 AM at El Sobrante Public Library, 4191 Appian Way (email us about joining in) to go out and pick up litter. Our events are all free and always fun. You’ll do good and meet other great people, so come on down and be a part of the fun! This link takes you to a PDF of the postcard we made to promote our cleanups and educate people about how to get rid of stuff without dumping — can you help us distribute the message around town or sign up to help keep the momentum going? You can also join the clean up and beautification thread on NextDoor.

We have the info you need to get rid of stuff

The Green Team 94803 and SPAWNERS sponsored a community-wide cleanup of our streets and creeks on Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 21, from 9:30 to noon. This is part of a national and international effort to cleanup and protect the bays and oceans from all the waste (especially plastic) that is causing harm. In 2024 it was on the Saturday after El Sobrante Stroll downtown and the day before the first El Sobrante Pride event in “Cheese Park.” With all the other goings on, we focussed on the cleanup, offering light snacks and gear but no library / community event, as we hosted in years past. Instead, we supported and participated at Pride Day, the next weekend.

Earth Day was April 20. La informacion en Espanol, aqui. Almost 100 people came out to clean the streets and creeks at 9:30 AM followed by a community appreciation event featuring Asheba at 11:45 until 2. Volunteers always needed, to help with future events please drop us an email.

We had a big cleanup victory in November, 2023 when illegal dumpers were seen using dump trucks to pollute the watershed. We used NextDoor to mobilize people and get the cleanup done. Thank you Supervisor John Gioia and EBMUD.

The El Sobrante MAC Cleanup and Beautification Subcommittee held a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, via Zoom or at the library, where we got an update about the SP Dam Rd. planter pots and the Artist Tree cannabis store / art gallery. We still don’t have a resolution to the lack of trash cans. CalTrans “El Sobrante Heroes” cleanup coming up, date TBA. Meanwhile, Ali posted some photos and video from our team at the 2023 El Sobrante Stroll and Parade. Do you have any photos to share?

Green Team 94803 provides this webpage with links and a calendar and has a working coalition with the SPAWNERS, C4GES, SOS! Richmond and other groups. Click here to get more involved, or just meet us at the El Sobrante Public Library any month. In March, we partnered with the Clean California campaign’s statewide effort to get rid of litter and illegal dumping.You are also welcome to join the monthly virtual El Sobrante Municipal Advisory Council ESMAC Cleanup and Beautification Subcommittee Meetings to get updates on local, ongoing efforts and to brainstorm on how to handle the trash problem in our town. Special guest presentations TBA.

El Sobrante / Richmond 94803 has a number of other interesting groups. We encourage all our neighbors to become involved in the campaign to make our town a better place. If you do, you will connect with some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet! The Green Team’s Earth Day community cleanup was a big hit April 22 with well over 130 neighborhood volunteers. The library hosted an origami art installation, Earth Day book displays, landscape gardening, speakers, entertainment and other fun and educational activities!. Information en español Abril 22 Día de la Tierra! Green Team 94803 hosted our third California Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 23, with SPAWNERS, the Library and SOS! Richmond. Aqui esta la information en Español.


Report a pile: 1-800-NO DUMPING (1-800-663-8674)

We have a beautiful little town. Sign up here to make it even better!

Keep El Sobrante 94803
Clean and Beautiful

Dear El Sobrante and Richmond Neighbors,

We love the El Sobrante area, which includes parts of unincorporated Contra Costa County and parts of the City of Richmond. However, the growing litter and illegal dumping problems here defiles the natural beauty of our commujnity and impacts our quality of life. It’s not only ugly – it’s bad for the environment and wildlife, attracts vermin and spreads disease.

We’ve had enough! We deserve better. 

It’s up to all of us, our village, to do our part to Keep El Sobrante Clean and Beautiful. So please join us on National Cleanup Day and at our regular clean up events to launch an ongoing effort to clean and beautify our town.

– Green Team 94803

Email us for more information

More things to do 

Businesses * Property Owners * Residents * Apartment Complexes * Schools * Places of Worship * Neighborhood Associations * Organizations * Anyone and Everyone can step up individually or form a team to do the following:

  • Pick up litter when you see it (masks, gloves, fast food containers, plastic, wrappers, cigarette butts, large items, etc.)
  • Clean up your property down to the streets and gutters, in your parking lots, on your block, or a trouble spot in your area. 
  • Adopt a spot you can clean up on a regular basis

Every day is a new chance for us to make a difference! You can help us keep El Sobrante beautiful. Here are some more ideas:

  • Pull up weeds, plant some native, drought-resistant flowers to beautify
  • Refresh the paint on your property that’s been an eyesore for a while
  • Clean up grafitti
  • Paint a mural (Warning: May need permits)
  • Collect trash along the creek
Third Saturday roadside cleanup

On the Third Saturday each month, we pick target locations and fan out in teams. Meet at El Sobrante library parking lot at 10 AM, return equipment at noon. Or, pick your own spot and schedule.10 AM – Noon. El Sobrante Public Library, 4191 Appian Way. See sidebar calendar for upcoming dates. More info here.

Take pride in knowing that our community cares about keeping El Sobrante beautiful. Together we will make a difference!

Caltrans Reporting Form

Use the Caltrans Customer Service online reporting form to notify Caltrans of blight or dumping on State Freeways and state roads. It features a map to report the location of your concern. To set the marker on the site of your concern within the California State Highway System, click anywhere on the map or drag it. Otherwise, simply call 916-654-2852.

– The El Sobrante Green Team

Scenes from Sept. 18, 2021 Cleanup