NYSBC Volunteers Tackle the Dirty Dozen of Beach Pollution

September is the start of International Coastal Cleanup season and one of the busiest months for the American Littoral Society's New York team.

Every year, with the help of volunteers the Littoral Society documents what items are contributing the most to polluting our New York beaches. We dub these top polluters “The Dirty Dozen”. In 2023, the top offenders found at beach cleanup events were predictably: cigarette butts, food wrappers, bottle caps, beverage bottles & cans, straws, and plastic bags. 
 
Tallying the types of trash found at beach cleanup events each year helps to inform policy makers and advocacy groups in NY State on where to put their focus. Historically, data compiled from our beach cleanups has helped to identify direct pollution sources from industry (wastewater sewage plastic scrubbers); provide context for statewide plastic bag bans; and support advocacy for legislative bills such as the Bigger Better Bottle Bill (which would expand the state's returnable container deposit scheme to include more beverage containers).   

Throughout September, the NY office has been working hard to help coordinate and facilitate beach cleanup events across New York State. So far, we successfully helped coordinate cleanup of plastic trash and other marine debris at over 60 different beaches and shorelines across New York State!

We also hosted our local cleanup at Sunset Cove with volunteers on Saturday September 21st, and removed 140 pounds of trash from our local shoreline with support from Resorts World NYC.

In 2023, 2,617 volunteers cleaned up 16,409 pounds of trash across 230 miles of shoreline across New York State. If you want to see how we have been doing, you can visit www.nysbeachcleanup.org.

According to the Littoral Society's Jamaica Bay Program Director Alexandra Kanonik, International Coastal Cleanup Day in New York has grown from 100 volunteers in 1986 to an average of thousands of volunteers across 120 beaches.

But the benefits of the New York State Beach Cleanup Program go beyond cleaner beaches.
“A well-organized beach cleanup is a prime activity for learning about the marine environment, the value of beaches to people and wildlife, looming threats to these special places, and the actions that people can take to make improvements,' Kanonik said.

They may even help some re-evaluate their consumption habits, which could have a big impact on the types and amounts of plastic collected during coastal cleanup season.
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