Tuesday, January 22, 2013

There's Lots of Debris, Even in Cold Weather

26 Volunteers picked up 272 pounds of litter during the National Day of Service cleanup at Foss Beach in Rye, NH

This past Saturday (January 19), we cleaned-up Foss Beach in Rye, NH as part of the National Day of Service. The cleanup showed that even in the middle of winter, litter is prevalent on our local beaches - but on a positive note, a big cleanup can be done in a short amount of time!

The cleanup resulted the removal of 272 pounds of marine debris. The 26 volunteers recorded 445 pieces of litter, including: 

11 Gloves
54 Nets/bait bags
3 Floats/buoys
9 Pieces of fishing Line
109 Pieces of Rope >1 m, and 94 pieces of smaller rope
49 Beverage cans
4 Glass bottles
1 Six-pack ring
1 Pile of dog waste (bagged)
27 Plastic bags
41 Plastic bottles
5 Bottle caps
1 Motor oil container
3 Cigarette butts
3 Styrofoam cups
5 Strapping bands (Plus more than 200 other straps, which may have been zip ties (cable ties)). 

Other items of note included a large float bag, a fishing lure, a shotgun shell, 3 combs, 2 shoes, a plastic pail, a rubber boat mat, 3 spoons, a pair of sunglasses, 3 hats, 45 lobster bands and 8 golf balls.

This data will help us learn about trends in marine pollution, help target pollution prevention programs and be used to educate in our school programs and as we speak to other audiences throughout the year.

Want to join us for a cleanup? Check out our schedule of monthly cleanups here.