One person’s trash is another’s beach toy treasure.
Sand toy stations are popping up along Orange County beaches, a way for plastic sand toys to be reused by others, instead of ending up as litter on the beach.
The latest installation was added on Wednesday, June 24, at the San Clemente Pier, a project spearheaded by the San Clemente Junior Woman’s Club. Already, beach toy boxes have been installed at Baby Beach in the Dana Point Harbor and Calafia State Beach in south San Clemente.
The idea is simple: borrow, play, rinse, return.
“We took it on as a free community resource for families visiting the beach,” said Ali Kruze, project chair for the Woman’s Club. The toy box was built and donated by Mike Keane and his employer, Bogart Construction, she noted.
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Six-year-old Mya Ali, plays with a plastic bucket borrowed from a new Sand Toy Station near San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Her dad, Mikal Ali, says the station allows children “to enjoy a playdate at the beach and also teach them the value of recycling.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Six-year-old Mya Ali, plays with a plastic bucket borrowed from a new Sand Toy Station near San Clemente Pier on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Her dad, Mikal Ali, says the station allows children “to enjoy a playdate at the beach and also teach them the value of recycling.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
There’s a QR code on the box to report any issues — like other trash besides toys being dumped into the box — or for beachgoers to learn more about the project or how to donate for future boxes.
The first toy box in Orange County was installed in April in the Dana Point Harbor by the nonprofit Stand Up to Trash.
Founder Vicki Patterson recalled stand-up paddleboarding 15 years ago at Baby Beach, seeing all the plastic toys left behind by beachgoers.
“By the end of the week, you could open up your own toy store,” she said.
In more recent years, Stand Up to Trash has hosted regular beach cleanups at the beach, which is popular with families, and plastic sand toys were a regular find, said Patterson.
She recalled seeing a beach toy box on the East Coast years ago, and after doing some research, learned Oceanside and La Jolla recently installed some on their beaches.
It took about nine months to get permitting through for the Baby Beach project, but finally the beach toy box launched as a pilot project with the hope that more will be added to county beaches, she said.
“Everybody loved it,” Patterson said. “There’s such enthusiasm around this toy box initiative.”
The toy boxes send a message about stewardship and community engagement, she added. “That’s what we’re all about: Let’s build this community and learn how we can steward our lands and our oceans.”
Almost every day, more toys are added, some by regulars and retirees who stroll the sand and come across the left-behind items that add to the collection.
“It’s always changing. People leave kid chairs and lounge blow-up beds you put up in the water, lifejackets, all kinds of fun toys,” Patterson said. “It is such a great initiative. It’s been amazing.”
Future beaches being look at include Strands Beach and Salt Creek, then up to Laguna Beach and beyond, Patterson said.
Likewise, the San Clemente Junior Woman’s Club hopes the idea for the free community resource will spread on the sand. Being looked at next are Linda Lane Beach, followed by T-Street and North Beach, Kruze said.
“There’s countless beach toys purchased and discarded and left behind on the beach,” Kruze said. “The goal is to create a simple solution for both families and the environment. We can share a common collection of toys that can be enjoyed by all.
“It’s not just about the toys,” she added, “it’s about reducing waste and teaching kids the value of sharing and helping protect the beach and ocean that makes San Clemente such a special place.”