Each year, CZM compiles data on the COASTSWEEP beach cleanups held throughout the state. The most recent information available is from the 2025 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.
For additional details on COASTSWEEP 2025, see the press release, as well as the links below for news coverage. (Articles may only be available for a limited time.)
- Join the Healey-Driscoll Administration's COASTSWEEP campaign to clean up Massachusetts beaches starting September 20 - Hoodline, 9/15/25
- Healey-Driscoll Administration announces the 2025 COASTSWEEP beach cleanup - Everett Independent, 9/17/25
- 2025 COASTSWEEP beach cleanups begin on Saturday - CapeCod.com, 9/18/25
- Nahant SWIMS into action for cleaner beaches - The Daily Item, 9/22/25
2025 Stats
Data from COASTSWEEP 2025 show that 3,287 volunteers removed nearly 47,500 pounds of trash from over 200 sites, cleaning more than 156 miles of shoreline. As with past years, cigarette butts were the most common item collected (10,553 total), followed by glass pieces (8,673). 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, fishing line, and strapping bands. Altogether, 16,400 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 trampoline, grill, steering wheel, orange safety cones, shopping carts, a sail, and a garage door opener.
All are welcome to join us for next year’s cleanup! 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 2026 cleanups, please email coastsweep@mass.gov.
Top 10 Items for 2025
| Rank | Debris Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 10,553 |
| 2 | Glass Pieces | 8,673 |
| 3 | Plastic/Foam Pieces | 7,133 |
| 4 | Foam Cup and Plates | 5,387 |
| 5 | Food Wrappers | 3,070 |
| 6 | Plastic Bottle Caps | 2,195 |
| 7 | Other Plastic Waste | 2,175 |
| 8 | Plastic Lids | 2,088 |
| 9 | Beverage Cans | 1,656 |
| 10 | Plastic Beverage Bottles | 1,465 |
For complete cleanup results, please see the COASTSWEEP 2025 data sheet (PDF, 117 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 each year!
