Clean streets equal clean beaches.

Much of the litter that ends up on New York City beaches entered the environment through street catch basins.That's the simple message behind a new campaign launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Bloomberg administration to remind New Yorkers about the link between litter and beach quality.

The educational campaign includes a poster for display both at area beaches and on Department of Sanitation fleet vehicles, like the sweepers that clean more than 6,000 miles of streets daily.

The 2012 "Clean Streets = Clean Beaches" program also will include five volunteer beach cleanups at City beaches on August 12th: Gerritsen, Kaiser Park, and Plumb Beaches in Brooklyn; Pugsley Creek Park in the Bronx; Conference House Beach in Staten Island; and Rockaway Beach in Queens. Department of Environmental Protection staff will be assigned to entrances at various beaches throughout the city to offer reusable tote bags in exchange for visitors' disposable plastic or paper bags. For information on volunteering, visit http://www.nyc.gov.

Since 2002, New York City has committed more than $10 billion to improve water quality, leading to New York Harbor being the cleanest it has been in more than a century.

But many New Yorkers still don't know that litter that ends up on the sidewalk or street is swept away into sewers that drain near their favorite parks and beaches.

"The 'Clean Streets = Clean Beaches' campaign is about taking pride in your community," said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator George Pavlou. "Litter on our streets can end up in our sewers, which can end up on our beaches. Taking a moment to make sure trash is disposed of properly can make a positive impact wherever you live."