Is UBB a non-profit?
No, UBB is a for-profit company. We sell products and use the profits to organize and host cleanups.

Are UBB products made from trash collected at cleanups?
No. Currently UBB uses sustainable fibers, mainly organic cotton, to make our products. We don’t currently use any material we find at cleanups in our products, although we are trying to find ways to recycle marine debris into new products.

So are you cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
Not yet. The Pacific Garbage patch consists of a plastic soup with tiny particles of plastic. There is currently no effective way for UBB to participate in cleaning this area up.

Who cleans up the trash?
We do. The company organizes and hosts all our cleanups. However, as company employees can’t remove all the trash, we have a large volunteer base we are continuously building, and we invite volunteers to all our cleanups.

Where do you sell your products?
UBB products are sold in stores across the United States. We also sell our products on our website.  Visit our store locator here to find our products in a store near you.

Where do you do your cleanups?
Wherever there is a need. Our cleanups are usually hosted near retail stores that carry our product on waterways and beaches in need of cleaning. See all our past cleanups here.

Why doesn’t UBB accept donations?
UBB believes in the power of business to do good things, and that our conservation efforts must be self-sustaining. Instead of donations, we rely on organic cotton and creative designs. We rely on a weathered, vintage look inspired by the faded colors of harbor villages. We rely on that moment of discovering something forgotten, something beautiful, something from another time, and encapsulating these feelings in our products.

How can I get involved in a cleanup?
Easy! Check out our upcoming cleanups section here and sign up for a cleanup near you!

What kinds of trash do you find at cleanups?

Plastic bottles, Styrofoam cups, chips bags, hair clips, shopping carts, scooters, tires, plastic bags, fishing line, lighters, and almost anything else you can imagine. We find many things intact, but we also find lots of tiny pieces of plastic and Styrofoam that have photodegraded or broken down under the currents.

What is the weirdest piece of trash you’ve ever found?
Well weird, of course, is a subjective term. But some of the more unusual pieces have ranged from money, to a handgun case, and even a cellphone!