The end of the summer marks International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD), one of the world’s largest annual preservation and protection events and volunteer efforts for our ocean, waves, and beaches. On Saturday, September 20th, Surfrider chapters joined in and hosted cleanup events across the country, removing nearly 3,000 pounds of trash from our beaches. ICCD is a great reminder that even as summer fades and the crowds disappear, trash on our beaches and coastlines remains.
This year, 28 Surfrider Chapters across 15 states hosted cleanups, bringing together 1,480 volunteers nationwide. Let’s give a round of applause for those volunteers!
Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we’ve been able to compile data from our ICCD cleanups – and some trashy trends are already starting to emerge. The top items found during International Coastal Cleanup Day were cigarette butts, plastic fragments, and tons of plastic and foam foodware, including takeout containers, plastic food wrappers, plastic bottles and caps, and straws. Plastic continues to plague our beaches, and we’re working tirelessly to stop plastic pollution at the source.
This work is made possible not only by our dedicated volunteers, but our Better Beach Alliance Program, sponsored by REEF and supported by Costa. Launched in 2018, the Better Beach Alliance was developed by the Surfrider Foundation and REEF to expand the impact of Surfrider’s Beach Cleanup Program and amplify the amount of trash removed, volunteers engaged, and events hosted. Year over year, REEF has made days like this possible.
Costa joined the Surfrider Treasure Coast Chapter this year to host a beach cleanup near their headquarters in Florida. A dedicated group of 35 volunteers collected 127 pounds of trash at Bob Graham Beach — an impressive haul, especially considering much of it consisted of lightweight, hard-to-find plastic debris. This small but mighty team carefully combed through the sand to remove hundreds of these harmful pieces.
We’re incredibly grateful to all of the wonderful volunteers who showed up during the ICCD weekend to clean up the trash left behind on our beaches after the summer! And these beach cleanups aren’t stopping - you can join Costa on Saturday, October 18th for their coast-to-coast cleanup day in Boston, Hermosa Beach, and Encinitas.
If you haven’t yet supported Surfrider’s work to keep our coasts and ocean plastic-free, please consider becoming a member today.
Thanks again to our Better Beach Alliance Partners, REEF and Costa for their continued support.