We’ve been busy processing our data from 2018, including tallying all the cleanups we’ve done, pounds collected and items counted. Each year as I do this, I’m so grateful for all the volunteers that work so hard to clean our local beaches!
I posted earlier about our cleanups in New Hampshire in 2018. In this post, I’ll share the results of all of our cleanups, including those in Maine and Massachusetts. Last year, we cleaned beaches from Wells, ME to Plum Island, MA. Occasionally, we receive results from cleanups late into the following year. The results here included data received as of 3/21/19.
- We conducted 235 cleanups
- Volunteers dedicated more than 4,670 hours to cleaning beaches
- Over 11,684 pounds of litter were removed
- Volunteers picked up and documented over 146,186 items!
Top Litter Items
Curious about the top litter items? Below are the top 10. You can find the full list on our fact sheet here.
Note: lobster gear was not removed due to State laws.
As you can see, a lot of the items were single-use items or associated with the breakdown of plastics.
Past Years
How do these results compare to past years? Below you can see the pounds collected and numbers of volunteers over the years. It should be noted that the number of cleanups varies each year. If you are interested in viewing more of our data or using it in education, please contact us!
Thank You, Volunteers!
Our cleanups wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers. We greatly appreciate the help from our Adopt-a-Beach groups (listed below), along with all the companies, schools, organizations and individuals that help keep our local beaches clean through our public and group cleanups. Thank you!!
2018 Adopt a Beach Groups
| Group Name | Beach Adopted | Location |
| Robyn Sealock/Stephanie Burrows | Bass Beach | Rye, NH |
| Jenna Waite | Cable Beach | Rye, NH |
| Beth Hirt | Eliot Boat Basin | Eliot, ME |
| NH Coastal Program | Fabyan’s Point, Great Bay | Newington, NH |
| Portsmouth High School Peer Leadership | Drowned Forest at Odiorne Point | Rye, NH |
| Linda Rickenbach | Hampton Beach, Sec. A | Hampton, NH |
| Daniel’s Landing | Hampton Beach, Sec. D | Hampton, NH |
| UNH Sigma Chi | Hampton Beach, Sec. E | Hampton, NH |
| Chucky’s Fight | Hampton River Bridge | Hampton, NH |
| GBCC STEM Club | Hilton Park | Dover, NH |
| Blue Ocean Society | Jenness Beach | Rye, NH |
| Max Ronner-Bland & Friends | North Beach, South Section | Hampton, NH |
| Seacoast Paddleboard Club | Pirate’s Cove | Rye, NH |
| Klone Labs | Salisbury Beach, Sec. B (summer only) | Salisbury, MA |
| Rye Girl Scouts | Sawyer’s Beach | Rye, NH |
| George W. Hall | Scammell Bridge and Goat Island | Durham and Newington, NH |
| F.U.U.S.E. Green Sanctuary Committee | Seabrook Section A | Seabrook, NH |
| Crazy Eights Family | Short Sands | York, ME |
| Global Aquaculture Alliance | South Mill Pond | Portsmouth, NH |
| Club Finz | Wallis Sands | Rye, NH |
Cleanup Sponsors and Partners
The cleanups were funded, in part, by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act in conjunction with the NH Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program. Other major sponsors included Liberty Mutual, Altria Client Services, Aquaculture Education and Research Center and Optima Bank.
Learn More:
- All Cleanups Results 2018 (PDF File)
- 2018 New Hampshire Cleanup Results (PDF File)
- Join a Cleanup
- How Plastic Affects Whales
- Volunteer
Image: Litter Collected from Hampton Beach, August 2018
