Pulse – events & entertainment
In one of the world’s largest volunteer efforts for oceans and waterways, the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup has mobilized millions of people over nearly 3 decades. Most volunteers walk, while others set out on boats or don scuba gear to find trash in and under the water.
The Ocean Conservancy recently announced that during the 2012 cleanup more than 500,000 volunteers picked up 10 million pounds of trash. This one-day cleanup provides a snapshot of beach litter across nearly 18,000 miles. The most commonly found pieces of trash included everyday items like food wrappers, beverage containers and plastic bags. Weirder items ranged from lottery tickets to candles to mattresses. Yes, 117 mattresses.
The top 10 items found were:
- 2,117,931 cigarettes/cigarette filters
- 1,140,222 food wrappers/containers
- 1,065,171 plastic beverage bottles
- 1,019,902 plastic bags
- 958,893 caps/lids
- 692,767 cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons
- 611,048 straws/stirrers
- 521,730 glass beverage bottles
- 339,875 beverage cans
- 298,332 paper bags
To view state or country data about the trash collected by volunteers, visit the Ocean Trash Index.
The easiest way to eliminate beach trash is to abide by one simple rule: Pack it in, pack it out.
