More than 80,000 people in the United States took part in the 2020 International Coastal Ocean Clean Up day. Nearly 2.6 million pounds of trash was collected along 34,099 kilometers of U.S. coastline. Cigarette butts topped the list of most common waste items found, with more 377,460 collected. This was followed by food wrappers and plastic bottle caps.
The U.S. is one of the biggest generators of plastic waste worldwide, with the country's coastal population producing millions of tons of mismanaged plastic waste every year through littering and illegal dumping. More often that not this waste ends up in oceans, causing harm to marine environments.
Most common waste items found along beaches in the United States in 2020
*Other Trash refers to items that are collected by volunteers using the Clean Swell mobile app that do not fall in a specific category. These other items range in material type and size. Examples include indiscernible plastic pieces, clothing and metal pieces. Notably for 2020, it is likely that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items were logged in this category before a specific category was created for it on Clean Swell.
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Ocean Conservancy. (September 9, 2021). Most common waste items found along beaches in the United States in 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228584/waste-items-found-along-coast-united-states/
Ocean Conservancy. "Most common waste items found along beaches in the United States in 2020." Chart. September 9, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 23, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228584/waste-items-found-along-coast-united-states/
Ocean Conservancy. (2021). Most common waste items found along beaches in the United States in 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 23, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228584/waste-items-found-along-coast-united-states/
Ocean Conservancy. "Most Common Waste Items Found along Beaches in The United States in 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Sep 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228584/waste-items-found-along-coast-united-states/
Ocean Conservancy, Most common waste items found along beaches in the United States in 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228584/waste-items-found-along-coast-united-states/ (last visited May 23, 2022)
