Save The Bay: 157,579 items collected during shoreline cleanup

SAVE THE BAY said 33 percent of the total trash items collected at a shoreline cleanup in September were cigarette butts. Other top 10 items collected were food wrappers, plastic bottle caps, plastic beverage bottles, fishing line, straws, beverage cans, plastic bags, glass beverage bottles and metal bottle caps. / COURTESY SAVE THE BAY
SAVE THE BAY said 33 percent of the total trash items collected at a shoreline cleanup in September were cigarette butts. Other top 10 items collected were food wrappers, plastic bottle caps, plastic beverage bottles, fishing line, straws, beverage cans, plastic bags, glass beverage bottles and metal bottle caps. / COURTESY SAVE THE BAY

PROVIDENCE – More than 16,000 pounds of trash and 157,000 items – including 41,803 cigarette butts – were collected from Rhode Island’s shorelines during a coastal cleanup in September, according to Save The Bay.
Ocean Conservancy released the data from the 29th International Coastal Cleanup this week, in which 562,000 volunteers worldwide collected nearly 16.2 million pounds of trash over 13,360 miles of shoreline back in September, Save The Bay said.
Locally, Save The Bay and 2,101 volunteers cleaned 59 miles of shoreline, from Block Island to Providence, and also ventured inland, to clean the banks of the Pawtuxet River. On average, volunteers collected 75 items. Save The Bay said it organized 80 beach cleanups in 18 towns.
The cigarette butts, which are not biodegradable, comprised 33 percent of the total trash items collected, Save The Bay said.
The other top 10 items found:

  • 11,032 food wrappers
  • 8,923 plastic bottle caps
  • 6,687 plastic beverage bottles
  • 6,080 yards of fishing line
  • 5,337 straws
  • 4,481 beverage cans
  • 4,299 plastic bags
  • 3,688 glass bottles
  • 3,128 metal bottle caps

In addition, 32,301 bits of “tiny trash,” bits of plastic, glass or foam smaller than 1 inch, were removed from Rhode Island beaches. Everything that was found was recorded for inclusion on the Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris index, Save The Bay said.

“The data helps us understand and communicate the nature and scope of the problem within our own communities. It tells us where the trash is coming from, so we can focus our preventive efforts in those areas,” Save The Bay Volunteer and Internship Manager July Lewis said in a statement. “This year, we can see that almost all of the litter comes from eating, drinking and smoking. We hope the report will raise awareness about how our residents and visitors can help reduce beach trash.”

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