Each year, CZM compiles data on the COASTSWEEP beach cleanups held throughout the state. The most recent information available is from the 2023 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.
2023 Stats
During COASTSWEEP 2023, approximately 3,053 volunteers removed more than 47,900 pounds of trash from over 165 sites, cleaning more than 300 miles of shoreline. As with past years, cigarette butts were the most common item collected (11,558 total), followed by plastic pieces (6,542). In addition to miscellaneous pieces of plastic, many other plastic and foam items were removed, including bags, bottles and their caps, straws, utensils, cups, plates, food containers, coffee lids, foam packaging, and strapping bands. Altogether, 32,279 various plastic and foam 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 firepit, a bicycle, computer parts, an umbrella, air mattress, a shopping cart, a vacuum cleaner, various toys, dumbbells, a grill, a suitcase, and a cell phone. We encourage you to join us in 2024. 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 2024 cleanups, please email coastsweep@mass.gov.
Top 10 for 2023
| Rank | Debris Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 11,558 |
| 2 | Plastic Pieces | 6,542 |
| 3 | Foam Pieces | 6,520 |
| 4 | Food Wrappers | 5,386 |
| 5 | Plastic Bottle Caps | 4,335 |
| 6 | Plastic Beverage Bottles | 2,653 |
| 7 | Glass Pieces | 2,371 |
| 8 | Beverage Cans | 1,773 |
| 9 | Straws and Stirrers | 1,773 |
| 10 | Foam Packaging | 1,772 |
For complete cleanup results, please see the COASTSWEEP 2023 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!
