The recent storm that pounded our coast did more than sweep away lifeguard stands and cause beach erosion – it also washed a heart-breaking amount of debris onto our shores. Fortunately, the annual Keep America Beautiful Beach Sweep just days after the storm was a well-timed and hugely successful event.
Coordinated by the Cape Fear River Watch, the October 10th cleanup on Wrightsville Beach had the support of scores of volunteers, many of them from partner organizations like the Surfrider Foundation, Wrightsville Beach Keep it Clean, and the Plastic Ocean project.
According to the Plastic Ocean Project, the beach sweep collected more than 1000 cigarette butts, more than 600 plastic bottle caps, and hundreds of plastic straws. Other common items collected were food wrappers, children’s toys and aluminum cans.
The final haul hasn’t been announced yet, but according to Wrightsville Beach Keep it Clean, volunteers in 2014 collected a total of 525 bags of litter from our beaches.
If you’d like to join in the year-round effort to keep our beaches beautiful and our marine life safe, visit the websites of the Cape Fear River Watch, Wrightsville Beach Keep it Clean, The Plastic Ocean Project, or the Cape Fear Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation to learn how you can become involved.