September Shore Sweep Was Satisfying

While the July shore sweep was cancelled due to a heavy rain storm, the Bay’s residents were not stopped from sweeping the shore on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Twenty-one residents of Hanford Bay gathered at the beach side of the Moran Right-of-Way with their buckets, gloves and high spirits to sweep the shore area of the entire length of Hanford Bay. The skies were partly sunny, and under a canopy was a large assortment of labeled containers for the Shore Sweepers to use to help categorize their finds upon their return from the sweep. All were reminded before they set out that the items they collected and categorized were to be reported to the Ocean Conservancy. This organization sponsors the International Coastal Cleanup Day (happening the same day as our cleanup) that engages people around the globe to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways. Since its beginning, more than 18 million volunteers like our residents have removed more than 380 million pounds of trash.

The result of the shore sweep as well as the efforts of a some other residents who collected trash off the beach a few days earlier was the removal of 305 pounds of trash! While this sweep did not produce as many large pieces of trash as during previous sweeps, there were some significant amounts collected. For example, 806 small plastic pieces that will no longer be there to ultimately turn into micro and nano size pieces of plastic to potentially harm our health. In addition, here are a few more of the many other items that were removed from our beautiful beach that day:

• 33 balloons

• 52 bottle caps

• 72 food wrappers

• 30 plastic grocery bags

• 130 pieces of miscellaneous plastic waste

• 142 pieces of other waste (metal, paper, etc.)

• 7 tires

• 66 tobacco products (cigarette butts, cigar tips, and lighters)

The efforts of everyone who participated in this shore sweep are to be congratulated and serve as a reminder that all of the Bay’s residents can be Bay Keepers!