Albany Marsh is a small but legitimate tidal wetland wedged between a former landfill and the Bay Trail, and it collects a lot of what the tide and the wind bring in. The Urban Compassion Project has been running these regularly — you can track previous hauls on their Instagram (@urbancompassionproject) or TikTok (@urbancompassion510). Registration is available at urbancompassionproject.org/events/, though showing up unregistered hasn't historically been a problem for events like this.

Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you don't mind getting muddy. The organizers supply bags; gloves are worth bringing your own if you have a pair. The two-hour window is real — 11 to 1 is the block, not 11 to whenever.

If you've got exactly two hours: sign up ahead so you're not standing around at the start, get there at 10:50, and work the area closest to the water where the heaviest accumulation tends to be.