We have been busy processing the cleanup data from 2019, which includes tallying all the cleanups we have done, the pounds of trash collected and counting the individual items picked up. While looking back on 2019 cleanups, we feel so grateful for all of the volunteers that work so hard to clean our local beaches!
We cleaned beaches from Wells, Maine all the way to Provincetown, Massachusetts. That is over 150 miles of coastline cleaned!
- We conducted 240 beach cleanups
- Volunteers dedicated 6,189 hours to cleaning beaches
- Over 6,768 pounds of litter were removed from beaches
- Volunteers picked up and documented 118,082 items!
Top Litter Items:
Curious about the top litter items? Below are the top ten items found at beach cleanups in 2019. You can find the full list here!
Many of these items were from single-use products or associated with the breakdown of plastics.
Past Years:
Blue Ocean Society’s beach cleanup program began back in 2001 when we began to hold regular cleanups at Jenness Beach. How do 2019’s results compare to past years? Below you can see the pounds collected and numbers of volunteers over the years. When looking at the graphs, keep in mind that the number of cleanups changes each year. If you are interested in viewing more of our data or using it for educational purposes please contact us!
Thank You, Volunteers
Our cleanups wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers. We greatly appreciate the help from our Adopt-a-Beach groups (listed below), along with all the companies, schools, organizations, and individuals that help keep our local beaches clean through our public and group cleanups. Thank you!!
2019 Adopt-a-Beach Groups
| Group Name | Beach Adopted | Location |
| Stephanie Burrows | Bass Beach | Rye, NH |
| NH Coastal Program | Fabyan Point | Newington, NH |
| Andy Mamczak | Foss Beach, South | Rye, NH |
| Linda Rickenbach | Hampton Beach, Sec. A | Hampton, NH |
| Daniel’s Landing | Hampton Beach, Sec. D | Hampton, NH |
| UNH Sigma Chi | Hampton Beach, Sec. E | Hampton, NH |
| Chucky’s Fight | Hampton River Bridge | Hampton, NH |
| GBCC STEM Club | Hilton Park | Dover, NH |
| Blue Ocean Society | Jenness Beach | Rye, NH |
| Max Ronner-Bland & Friends | North Beach, South Section | Hampton, NH |
| Portsmouth High School Peer Leadership | Odiorne Point, Drowned Forest | Rye, NH |
| Seacoast Paddleboard Club | Pirate’s Cove | Rye, NH |
| Timberland | Plaice Cove | Hampton, NH |
| Community Partners | Rye Harbor State Park | Rye, NH |
| Klone Labs | Salisbury Beach, Section B | Salisbury, MA |
| Rye Girl Scouts | Sawyer’s Beach | Rye, NH |
| George W. Hall | Scammel Bridge & Goat Island | Durham & Newington, NH |
| F.U.U.S.E. & P.E.A. | Seabrook Beach | Seabrook, NH |
| Crazy Eights Family | Short Sands | York, ME |
| Global Aquaculture Alliance | South Mill Pond | Portsmouth, NH |
| Club Finz | Wallis Sands | Rye, NH |
Cleanup Sponsors and Partners:
The cleanups were funded, in part, by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act in conjunction with the NH Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program. Other major sponsors included Liberty Mutual, Altria Client Services, and Aquaculture Education and Research Center and Freudenberg.
Learn More:
- All Cleanup Results 2019 (PDF)
- 2019 New Hampshire Cleanup Results (PDF)
- Join a Cleanup
- How Plastic Affects Whales
- Volunteer
Image: Litter collected at a cleanup in 2019
