BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser are proud to announce registration is now open at LoveLaWaterways.org for Love Our Waterways, a new statewide waterway and shoreline cleanup initiative taking place throughout Louisiana during the month of September.
Inspired by the record-breaking success of Love the Boot Week, Love Our Waterways encourages volunteers, businesses, schools, civic organizations, and community groups to help remove litter and debris from Louisiana’s rivers, lakes, bayous, beaches, and shorelines.
“Our Love the Boot Week volunteers showed what’s possible when people across Louisiana work together with pride and purpose,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Now we’re building on that momentum with Love Our Waterways and asking Louisianans to help protect the rivers, lakes, bayous, and coastlines that define our way of life. Louisiana’s 14,400-mile waterway system supports our culture, economy, seafood industry, wildlife, and outdoor recreation, and we all have a role in keeping it clean and beautiful.”
“We know that 80 percent of marine litter starts on land. Litter blows into our waterways, causing pollution and killing fish and wildlife,” said Susan Russell, Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director. “It’s time to prioritize our waterways and ensure that our Sportsman’s Paradise is clean and beautiful for future generations."
September is globally recognized as Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Month, and World Cleanup Day will take place on September 20, 2026. Love Our Waterways will serve as a registered effort supporting both initiatives.
Ways to get involved in Love Our Waterways:
- Clean up shorelines.
- Clean out drains and ditches.
- Clean up by paddle or motorized boat.
- Promote on social media.
- Donate to amplify the impact.
Volunteers will also help collect important litter data by documenting the types of debris removed and identifying larger abandoned items, including derelict crab traps, abandoned vessels, and other marine debris. This information will be shared with partner agencies to support future removal efforts.
At LoveLaWaterways.org, volunteers can register a cleanup event or find opportunities to participate locally. Keep Louisiana Beautiful will provide supply boxes for the first 200 groups to register. The website also features a downloadable marketing toolkit with press release templates, social media graphics, digital ads, and promotional materials to help communities spread the word.
A news conference announcing additional details about Love Our Waterways will be held at The Water Institute in Baton Rouge on Monday, June 15, at 10 a.m. Speakers will include Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser; Susan Russell, Executive Director of Keep Louisiana Beautiful; and Beaux Jones, President and CEO of The Water Institute. A litter cleanup event featuring volunteers from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Green, and Clean Pelican will follow the announcement.