2019 Cleanup Results

Litter from a Cleanup in 2019

We have been busy processing the cleanup data from 2019, which includes tallying all the cleanups we have done, the pounds of trash collected and counting the individual items picked up. While looking back on 2019 cleanups, we feel so grateful for all of the volunteers that work so hard to clean our local beaches! 

We cleaned beaches from Wells, Maine all the way to Provincetown, Massachusetts. That is over 150 miles of coastline cleaned!

  • We conducted 240 beach cleanups
  • Volunteers dedicated 6,189 hours to cleaning beaches 
  • Over 6,768 pounds of litter were removed from beaches
  • Volunteers picked up and documented 118,082 items! 

Top Litter Items: 

Curious about the top litter items? Below are the top ten items found at beach cleanups in 2019. You can find the full list here

Many of these items were from single-use products or associated with the breakdown of plastics

Past Years: 

Blue Ocean Society’s beach cleanup program began back in 2001 when we began to hold regular cleanups at Jenness Beach. How do 2019’s results compare to past years? Below you can see the pounds collected and numbers of volunteers over the years. When looking at the graphs, keep in mind that the number of cleanups changes each year. If you are interested in viewing more of our data or using it for educational purposes 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!!

2019 Adopt-a-Beach Groups

Group Name Beach Adopted Location
Stephanie Burrows Bass Beach Rye, NH
NH Coastal Program Fabyan Point  Newington, NH
Andy Mamczak Foss Beach, South 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
Portsmouth High School Peer Leadership Odiorne Point, Drowned Forest Rye, NH
Seacoast Paddleboard Club Pirate’s Cove Rye, NH
Timberland  Plaice Cove Hampton, NH
Community Partners Rye Harbor State Park Rye, NH
Klone Labs Salisbury Beach, Section B Salisbury, MA
Rye Girl Scouts Sawyer’s Beach Rye, NH
George W. Hall Scammel Bridge & Goat Island  Durham & Newington, NH
F.U.U.S.E. & P.E.A. Seabrook Beach 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, and Aquaculture Education and Research Center and Freudenberg.

Learn More:

Image: Litter collected at a cleanup in 2019