ABOUT PADDLE OUT PLASTIC
On this page you can learn about our mission, hear and read testimonials from some of our volunteers, read about our history, and meet our officers and board of directors.
The mission of Paddle Out Plastic is to remove plastic waste from waters, collect and provide data regarding plastic waste in support of related citizen science, and educate the public about plastic waste, including through oral and written presentations and art.
Come along from launch to return with our haul
in this video by paddler and photojournalist Ken Kerbs
Volunteer Testimonials
"Kayaking through the marina in the South Bay, collecting trash—mostly plastics—really opens your eyes to how much ends up in our waters and how it impacts sea life and our environment. I’m grateful and humbled to be part of this incredible volunteer team, doing our small part to protect our oceans and the animals that call them home."
— Chigusa Mares
"Every time I get out on the water is a new opportunity to do something positive for the planet. It reaffirms my connection with the Earth; that I’m just a small part of it and I belong to the Earth and I have responsibilities to take care of it."
— James Kao
"I love the sense of community I feel when joining Paddle Out Plastic to keep our local waters free of debris. Knowing that our efforts really make an impact on diverse wildlife is very gratifying. And it's fun to make new friends along the way!"
— Gwen
"Paddling with Paddle Out Plastic allows me to be with other like-minded people who care about the environment and the oceans, while taking positive action."
— Elizabeth
"Paddling out with my friends from Paddle Out Plastic fills me with a kind of joy I can feel in my bones. It’s my love of nature and of the ocean fused with a sharp, undeniable urgency: a recognition that our throwaway habits are poisoning the very water that sustains us. We are only a handful of idealists scooping trash from the surface, but I’m convinced what we do matters."
— Ken Kerbs, photojournalist, paddler, and teacher
Our History
On World Oceans Day, June 8, 2019, Eva Cicoria launched Paddle Out Plastic after picking up plastic for many years while kayaking in Southern California waters. The pollution she encountered wasn’t just unsightly—waterborne plastic pollution was harming wildlife through entanglement, entrapment and ingestion, as confirmed by media reports and Eva’s own observations on the water. Her goal was not just to clean up the water, but to increase public awareness of what we as a society, in particular in Southern California, are sending out to sea—nearly all plastic and predominantly single-use and food related. She felt that if people saw what she was seeing on the water they might better understand the costs of our culture of convenience.
Data collection was another important aspect of the plan. Eva and her husband Ken Swenson began to take home what they, and other paddlers on Paddle Out Plastic group paddles, retrieved from the water, sort it into more than 50 categories and count it. They also began to arrange it and photograph it to create compelling visual images of what they were finding.
Eva also began speaking before, and writing to, government agencies, showing the organization’s data and photos of waterborne plastic pollution and pressing for change. She wanted to highlight the design flaw inherent in products used for mere minutes, made of a material—plastic—that was meant to last forever.
For a period of time during the Covid pandemic, Paddle Out Plastic’s waterborne trash collection activities were brought to a standstill as recreational venues were shut down. When they opened up again, local couple Laura and Jeff Raab discovered Paddle Out Plastic on social media, bought a tandem kayak, began cleaning up, and took on the sorting and counting of their litter collections just as Eva and Ken were doing, growing our data base.
Paddle Out Plastic organized as a nonprofit corporation in 2023, and in 2024 received its Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination (followed by its tax-exempt determination from the State of California). This step facilitated recruitment of volunteers to assist in cleanup efforts while paddling their own kayaks and stand-up paddleboards and the organization began to look for educational opportunities such as speaking engagements and Earth Day fairs. Tax exempt status also enables the organization to receive grants and donations.
Paddle Out Plastic’s mission is threefold:
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First, use an all-volunteer base to clean waterborne trash from waterways.
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Second, support citizen science with data from trash collections.
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Third, use data, photos and art to influence change in single-use plastic production and consumption.
Paddle Out Plastic operates principally in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area of Southern California, including Los Angeles Harbor in the Port of Los Angeles, Alamitos Bay, and Rainbow Harbor at the mouth of the Los Angeles River in Long Beach, as well as in the harbors in Redondo Beach and Marina Del Rey. However, the organization has also done its “paddle out” cleanups throughout Southern California and beyond.
Our Officers and Board of Directors
Eva Cicoria is Paddle Out Plastic's founder and its CEO and Executive Director. She is also a member of the organization's board of directors.
Ken Swenson is Paddle Out Plastic's Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, and a member of the organization's board of directors.
Laura Raab is a member of the organization's board of directors and paddles with her husband Jeff.