A toilet seat, a pumpkin and a Magic 8 ball were among the more unusual finds among the 22,480 pounds of trash cleared from the state shoreline in 2023, according to a new report by Save the Bay.

But the most shocking conclusion from volunteer efforts organized as part of the International Coastal Cleanup: the sheer volume of plastic.

Cleanup crews found thousands upon thousands of tiny plastic and foam pieces strewn across the sand and tangled in the seaweed line – surpassing cigarette butts as the most prevalent type of trash in the 35-year history of the event in Rhode Island, according to Save the Bay’s 2023 International Coastal Cleanup Report published on Jan. 23.

The report reflects the trash collected by more than 2,800 volunteers from September to November 2023 from Prudence, Patience and Dyer islands. Each of the 132,912 pieces of trash were categorized as part of an international data collection aimed at helping reduce marine debris.

The 23,468 plastic and foam pieces collected from Rhode Island shorelines in 2023 represent 17.7% of the total trash removed and categorized during 2023. By comparison, volunteers found 21,165 cigarette butts — equal to 15.9% of total trash— according to the report. Other top categories included food wrappers, bottles and caps, and plastic straws and stirrers.

The latest findings underscore how shifts in culture, manufacturing practices and consumer habits have also changed the nature of litter. Save The Bay’s earliest cleanups from the 1970s offer barely a mention of plastic debris, whereas now, it’s everywhere.

That’s especially problematic because plastic never truly disappears; instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces known as “microplastics” which contaminate bodies of water and can harm the wildlife that live there — getting stuck in the gills and digestive tracts of seafood later eaten by humans, the report stated.

“Our team has found microplastics in every part of the Bay, and we find them every time we look for them,” Save The Bay Executive Director Topher Hamblett said in a statement. “The best thing we can do to stop the plastics problem is to prevent plastic from ever entering our waters — whether you make sure to dispose of your trash properly, volunteer at a shoreline cleanup, or support changes in local policy, like telling your legislators to pass a bottle bill.”

Incentivizing recycling of plastic bottles and cans through a bottle deposit-refund program, known as a “bottle bill,” is the subject of an ongoing study by a legislative review panel. The 18-member panel, which includes representatives from Save the Bay along with other environmental advocates, lawmakers and business groups, is expected to report its findings to the Rhode Island General Assembly in June.

Save the Bay will host its annual series of shoreline cleanup as part of the International Coastal Cleanup from September to November 2024. For more information or to sign up, visit https://volunteer.savebay.org/international-coastal-cleanup/.

 Originally published in the Rhode Island Current

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