Each year, CZM compiles data on the COASTSWEEP beach cleanups held throughout the state. The most recent information available is from the 2021 cleanup, which is provided below. Please note that COVID-19 precautions significantly affected the volunteer turnout for this year. 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.
2021 Stats
During COASTSWEEP 2021, while numbers were less than a normal year due to COVID-19, 1,852 volunteers removed nearly more than 6,100 pounds of trash from 256 sites (a lot of small cleanups), cleaning more than 124 miles of shoreline. As with past years, cigarette butts were the most common item collected (4,262 total), followed by plastic pieces (3,621). 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, 9,985 various plastic items were removed from Bay State beaches.
To sign up to receive email updates on the 2022 cleanups, please email coastsweep@mass.gov.
Top 10 for 2021
| Rank | Debris Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 4,262 |
| 2 | Plastic Pieces | 3,621 |
| 3 | Food Wrappers | 3,185 |
| 4 | Other Trash (uncategorized) | 2,872 |
| 5 | Plastic Bottle Caps | 1,427 |
| 6 | Plastic Beverage Bottles | 1,118 |
| 7 | Plastic Grocery Bags | 1,052 |
| 7 | Beverage Cans | 864 |
| 9 | Glass Beverage Bottles | 805 |
| 10 | Straws and Stirrers | 771 |
For complete cleanup results, please see the COASTSWEEP 2021 data sheet (PDF, 1 MB). 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!
