Each year, CZM compiles data on the COASTSWEEP beach cleanups held throughout the state. The most recent information available is from the 2022 cleanup, which is provided below. See COASTSWEEP - Summaries of Annual Cleanups for other years. For a full list of the information available on the COASTSWEEP website, see Overview and Index.
2022 Stats
During COASTSWEEP 2022, approximately 2,856 volunteers removed more than 18,197 pounds of trash from over 148 sites, cleaning more than 160 miles of shoreline. As with past years, cigarette butts were the most common item collected (18,646 total), followed by plastic pieces (9,713). In addition to miscellaneous pieces of plastic, many other plastic items were removed, including bags, bottles and their caps, straws, utensils, cups, plates, food containers, coffee lids, and strapping bands. Altogether, 41,303 various plastic items were removed from Bay State beaches. And it wouldn’t be a COASTSWEEP without a few interesting items making the final tally. Volunteers found a boat ladder, a backpack, several Christmas tree ornaments, a bible, a fence, various toys, a tent, and a kids beach chair. We encourage you to join us in 2023. Who knows what you might find while helping to keep marine debris from entering the world’s oceans?
To sign up to receive email updates on the 2023 cleanups, please email coastsweep@mass.gov.
Top 10 for 2022
| Rank | Debris Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 18,646 |
| 2 | Plastic Pieces | 9,713 |
| 3 | Plastic/Foam Pieces | 8,765 |
| 4 | Food Wrappers | 6,489 |
| 5 | Plastic Bottle Caps | 5,414 |
| 6 | Glass Pieces | 3,867 |
| 7 | Plastic Beverage Bottles | 2,948 |
| 8 | Metal Bottle Caps | 2,153 |
| 9 | Straws and Stirrers | 2,110 |
| 10 | Foam Packaging | 1,976 |
For complete cleanup results, please see the COASTSWEEP 2022 data sheet (PDF, 85 KB). For more data, see the Summaries of Annual Cleanups, which links to an overview and summary statistics from past years. More on Marine Debris gives additional details on the types, sources, and impacts of marine debris.
Thank you to the many volunteers who make COASTSWEEP a success!
