Andrew Velikanje and the group he created have removed around 700,000 pounds of trash from the Central Coast in the past six years.
“Most of that is ocean-bound waterways, too,” Velikanje told the Sun. “It’s amazing to think how much trash that would look like if it was above ground, … how big it looks underwater.”
Collective cleanups
To learn more about Heal the Ocean’s and Earthcomb’s missions and ongoing projects throughout the Central Coast, visit healtheocean.org and earthcomb.org.
For him and the small team at Earthcomb, every day that they increase the total number is a good day. In October, the organization removed nearly 37,000 pounds of trash and hazardous materials from Lompoc’s Santa Ynez Riverbed thanks to financial support from Heal the Ocean.
Some of the help came from two unhoused individuals.
Velikanje was homeless from 2017 to 2020, he said, and he remembered being embarrassed after moving into an encampment on a beach that was littered with trash.
“I was about, I don’t know, three quarters of a mile away from any dumpster, so to remove it was a real undertaking. It took me several months,” Velikanje said.
He lugged away huge items for disposal, like soggy mattresses, a dishwasher, and a washing machine.
“Somewhere in there, I think I just really fell in love with doing it, and when my encampment became clean, I kind of just wanted to keep picking up trash,” Velikanje said.
Starting Earthcomb gave him purpose again, and he’s come a long way since.
This was his fifth year organizing a cleanup in the Santa Ynez Riverbed. Earthcomb’s director of operations, Terry Baxter, and a couple of other volunteers made rounds with Velikanje for 20 days in October. Valley Roll-Off out of Lompoc provided dumpsters and hauled trash away.
Earthcomb secured another grant from Heal the Ocean, a Santa Barbara nonprofit that’s backed Velikanje’s efforts since 2020. With the additional funding, Earthcomb will be able to return to the Lompoc region for four more days each month for the rest of the year.
On some jobs, Velikanje’s team, which includes a trusted outreach worker, may approach people in the encampments asking if they’d like to help collect trash. He’ll provide bags and give them a dedicated drop-off spot. Cash incentives go a long way, too. It could even end up as employment.
“Sometimes we pull them in and employ them on long-term levels and change their lives,” Velikanje said.
This was the best year Earthcomb has had in Lompoc, the founder added. It’s an especially difficult zone, a “different monster,” Velikanje said, because each year they return to more waste.
“It’s not that there isn’t progress being made,” he said. “It’s just hard to calculate when it comes back again, and it feels hard to palate. It’s difficult work.”
Executive Director of Heal the Ocean Karina Johnston said her organization received $16,000 from the Rose Foundation for the October cleanup.
“Eighteen tons of trash for $16,000 is just a really cost-effective method,” Johnston said.
Her team’s mission is to reduce ocean pollution and improve coastal resilience. Their projects include restoring habitats and wetlands, boosting water quality, and creating buffer zones for flooding and storm surges.
“This El Niño year is a really interesting indicator for that. We’ve already seen a lot of flooding happening,” Johnston said.
She agreed with Velikanje that the Santa Ynez Riverbed is a large-scale, recurring challenge. This summer, Heal the Ocean assisted the city of Lompoc and the county’s Housing and Community Development Division with finalizing a cooperation agreement.
“In advance of this work, we wanted to make sure that there was this agreement in place so that the entities wouldn’t just let the trash accumulate again, that there would be more monitoring and outreach and engagement to individuals who were in the riverbed area,” Johnston said.
“Partnerships like this one and in partnership with Earthcomb just give me a really strong sense that we’re doing something good,” she added, “and we’re making a difference.”
Highlight
• For anyone who missed the city of Santa Maria’s Oct. 24 presentation about emergency preparedness for seniors, a recorded version of the lecture is now available online. A Fire Department representative explained best practices in cases of wildfires, earthquakes, flooding, and power outages. Watch the video on Comcast cable Channels 23 and 24, or visit the city of Santa Maria’s YouTube channel. The presentation is available online at youtube.com/watch?v=6A_rg624hxI.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in November 12 – November 19, 2026.
