Instead, they’ll bring work gloves and trash bags, and pick thousands of cigarette butts out of the sand, remove used and tangled fishing line, and collect bottles, plastic bags, tires and trash from the Ocean State’s shores during the annual International Coastal Cleanup.
Organized internationally by the Ocean Conservancy and locally by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, volunteers not only clean up the trash that litters the state’s shores, but they also document what they find, tallying each piece of trash picked up. This data is published in an annual report that draws attention to marine debris and provides background for policy decisions that address the problem at its source.
“Right now, it’s summer, and everyone is enjoying the wonderful beaches we have in Rhode Island,” said Lawrence Taft, Audubon’s executive director. “The International Coastal Cleanup provides a chance to give back to the ocean, to take care of this wonderful resource that provides so much fun, food, recreation and livelihood for Rhode Islanders.”
“The more volunteers we have, the more we can accomplish, so we encourage people to sign up,” said July Lewis, Audubon’s volunteer coordinator. “We are also looking for tips on sites that have a lot of trash and need attention. Usually, these are small coastal access sites. If you know of one, let us know.”
Last summer, more than 2,000 volunteers removed more than 25,000 pounds of trash from the Rhode Island shore.
To volunteer, contact July Lewis at 401-949-5454, ext. 3044, or via e-mail at jlewis@asri.org, or contact our local cleanup leader, Wayne Huot at 401-788-0361 or waynehuot@yahoo.com. The Charlestown group will meet at the Charlestown breachway.
For other towns, you can find your contact person in this article.
The Sept. 17 cleanup is a rain or shine, but may be postponed in the event of a severe storm.