Coastsweep

A volunteer on Calf Island is astounded by the amount of trash that accumulates on the island.

COASTSWEEP
Every fall, volunteers from Massachusetts coastal communities turn out in large numbers for COASTSWEEP, the statewide beach cleanup sponsored by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) of the University of Massachusetts Boston. COASTSWEEP is conducted as part of the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup. Annually, almost 400,000 volunteers collect millions of pounds of trash from the shores of 100 countries, including the US. The Boston Harbor Islands Partnership and their volunteers are proud to be part of the international effort. Watch the calendar for the next scheduled COASTSWEEP event.

 

Bottles, cans, and cups are among the most found items during beach cleanups worldwide, according to Ocean Conservancy's Tracking Trash 2011 report.

Can you think of ways to keep these items from polluting our oceans?

2010
On September 18, Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center hosted an underwater cleanup in partnership with Neptune Dive Club at Thompson Island. Fifty-six volunteers collected over 300 pounds of trash from the area within 300 feet of the dock, and cleaned a half of a mile of shoreline. Many of the participants were from Dive Kulture, a Boston organization that teaches at-risk youth to dive.

On September 18, a small, but mighty group of just 10 volunteers removed 35 non-functional lobster traps and 2,000 pounds of metal pipes and sheets along with assorted trash found along the shoreline. The group was astounded at how many plastic bags, beverage bottles and cans, and styrofoam cups were collected. The volunteers and staff made a pact to use reusable water and coffee cups from now on.

 

A volunteer drags an extremely heavy item to the dumpster on Peddocks Island.

2009
On September 22, 2009, ninety-four volunteers joined staff from the National Park Service, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the City of Boston to clean 12 miles of shoreline on 4 Boston Harbor Islands - Lovells, Great Brewster, Peddocks and Rainsford - within the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area. Volunteers from State Street Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield's Blue Crew, Virgin America, JSI & World Education Inc., and the 1369 Coffeehouse collected more than 6,660 pounds of trash. Beverage bottles, food containers and wrappers, coffee cups and styrofoam were among the most abundant debris found. Large items such as tires, an engine, a couch and mattress were also removed from the beach. For a summary of what was collected, see the 2009 data sheet. According to Ocean Conservancy, Every ton of trash volunteers removed reduces the "startling impacts of ocean trash on wildlife and ocean ecosystems." 

 

Volunteers collect bags of trash that washed up on the beach.

2008
On September 18, 2008, eighty volunteers joined staff from National Park Service (NPS), Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center to clean up Calf, Peddocks and Thompson Islands. Community members of all ages joined employees from State Street Corporation, JSI/World Education and Fidelity Investments to collect over 3,000 pounds of trash. Beverage bottles, cans, food wrappers and containers, bleach or cleaner bottles and cigarettes were the most collected types of debris. Recreational or commercial fishing and boating materials, which pose some of the most immediate risks to marine life, were also commonly found. The 2008 data sheet details what was collected.