COMMUNITY

BEACh cleAnUps
 

Guidebook to

Community Beach Cleanups
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C O M M U N I T Y B E A C H C L E A N U P S

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
 

Understanding Marine Debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
 

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
 

Activities That Produce Debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
 

Items Listed on the Data Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
 

How to Organize a Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
 

Estimating Weights and Distances For the ICC . . . 18
 

ICC Data Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
 

The production of this educational document was provided with support from the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration s Marine Debris Program and was developed by Sheavly Consultants through

Contract Project Number AB133F06CN0193, Web based Education Campaign for Marine Debris

Awareness & Prevention.

Portions of this guidebook were compiled from excerpts from Ocean Conservancy s ICC Coordinator

Handbook (© 2002) and Pocket Guide to Marine Debris (© 2006), which was first published in 1993

with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
C O M M U N I T Y B E A C H C L E A N U P S

Introduction
 

Marine and other aquatic debris are more thanunsightly inconveniences for beach­bound

vacationers or pleasure boaters; they are one of the

most pervasive pollution problems affecting our

oceans and waterways.

Marine debris is any man­made object discarded,

disposed of or abandoned that enters the coastal or

marine environment. It may enter directly from

human activities, or indirectly when washed out to

sea via rivers, streams and storm drains. Since the

1960s, the world’s dependence upon natural materials has been largely replaced with the use of

durable, highly buoyant, synthetic items. Once they

enter the ocean environment these products – such

as cigarette filters, food wrappers, beverage bottles

and cans, grocery and trash bags, and fishing line,

nets and gear — can travel thousands of miles on

ocean currents, posing a threat to ocean ecosystems

and wildlife along the way. While the types of

debris are as diverse as the products found around

the world, they all share a common origin – people.

At a critical point, someone, somewhere, mishandled it — either deliberately or thoughtlessly.

Aesthetically, marine debris is an eyesore and can

have a major effect on the tourism industry in

waterfront communities. More importantly, thousands of marine animals die each year from

becoming entangled in debris or from ingesting it.

Marine debris can impact critical habitat, smothering seagrasses or dislodging or injuring corals.

Marine debris can also pose human health and

safety risks. Syringes, broken glass and other hazardous items pose obvious dangers to bare­footed

beach goers. Grocery and trash bags, fishing line,

nets, rope and other debris can wrap around boat

propellers and clog seawater intakes, causing costly

damage and becoming a safety hazard. Medical

and personal hygiene debris can enter waterways

when sewer systems fail or overflow. These items

often contain harmful bacteria and pathogens.

Congress has enacted laws to limit the dumping of

garbage from boats and to help control land­based

sources of marine debris by mandating the implementation of systems such as stormwater systems

and combined sewer systems. Citizens have also

made great efforts to fight this problem through

local outreach and education efforts and worldwide

beach cleanups. The Ocean Conservancy acts as the

coordinator for the annual International Coastal

Cleanup (ICC). Volunteers clean beaches and collect

information on what they find so that sources of

marine debris can be targeted for education or pollution prevention campaigns.

Proper data collection is extremely important. Each

year, Ocean Conservancy compiles and analyzes the

data that ICC volunteers collect worldwide. The

results of the analysis become a powerful tool in

finding the sources of marine debris, helping to

identify solutions and developing effective pollution

control strategies to help prevent this pollution

problem.

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Understanding Marine Debris
 

R esearchers traditionally classify marine debrisas coming from land­ or ocean/waterwaybased sources. Sources of land­based debris include

sewer overflows and storm drains, landfills, manufacturing and sewage treatment plants and beachgoers. Ocean/waterway­based sources include boats

and ships of all sizes and offshore rigs and drilling

platforms.

For centuries it was common practice for ships to

dump their garbage at sea. The United Nations

administers a treaty that provides a comprehensive

approach to dealing with ocean dumping. The

International Convention for the Prevention of

Pollution from Ships treaty is known as MARPOL

73/78 (an international MARine POLlution treaty)

and contains Annexes that deal with specific

discharges: I — oil, II — hazardous liquids, III —

packaged hazardous materials, IV — sewage, and

V — garbage (including plastics). The U.S. Congress

passed the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and

Control Act of 1987 to implement MARPOL Annex V,

which applies to both U.S. vessels and foreign

vessels in U.S. waters.

Recently, it has become more and more evident

that marine debris is also coming from land­based

sources. Among these sources are combined sewer

overflows. Usually found in older cities, these sewer

systems are combined with stormwater drainage

systems. When it

rains, if too much

water goes into the

system, overflows

of raw sewage and

untreated pollutants from the

streets are discharged directly

into waterways.

Discharges from

land­based sources

are subject to regulation under a federal law called the

Clean Water Act.

Another group of

land­based sources include recreational beachgoers

who leave behind their picnic garbage and cigarette

filters on the beach to be washed out with the tides

into our oceans and bays and back onto our

beaches.

Landfills can also be a source of debris. Many landfills are uncovered, making it possible for animals,

winds, or storms to scatter waste materials back into

the environment. Other landfills are located near

estuaries or marshes, which makes it easy for trash

to enter nearby water bodies. Once it has left the

landfill, trash can eventually reach oceans and

waterways, becoming marine debris.

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Land­based sources also include urban runoff from

storm drains. It is a common misconception that the

runoff and debris washed down storm drains is

removed at a treatment plant. This debris may

actually be discharged directly into local streams,

rivers, and bays with no treatment whatsoever.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

requires cities with separate storm sewer systems to

obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination

System (NPDES) permit. Cities must apply for this

permit to ensure the EPA that their stormwater

systems are operating as efficiently and cleanly as

possible and that they are educating their citizens

about the hazards of dumping debris and other

substances down storm drains.

How Long Until It’s Gone?
 

Glass bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 million years
 

Monofilament fishing line . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 years
 

Plastic beverage bottles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 years
 

Disposable diapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 years
 

Aluminum can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80­200 years
 

Foamed plastic buoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 years
 

Rubber boot sole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50­80 years
 

Foamed plastic cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 years
 

Tin can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 years
 

Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 years
 

Nylon fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30­40 years
 

Plastic film canister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20­30 years
 

Plastic bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10­20 years
 

Cigarette filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1­5 years
 

Wool sock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1­5 years
 

Plywood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1­3 years
 

Waxed milk carton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 months
 

Apple core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 months
 

Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 weeks
 

Orange or banana peel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2­5 weeks
 

Paper towel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2­4 weeks
 

Sources: U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FL and

“Garbage In, Garbage Out,” Audubon magazine, Sept/Oct 1998.

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C O M M U N I T Y B E A C H C L E A N U P S

Getting Started

As you are conducting your beach cleanup, youwill discover that just about anything can be

found on a beach!

Even if you’re not participating in the ICC’s annual

cleanup efforts, data collection is still extremely

important. If volunteers had never categorized and

counted the debris items that they found, beach

cleanups would have just faded away. Volunteer

data collection efforts have continued to change

the way people think about the ocean and its

ability to handle society’s wastes! Please help continue these important efforts by collecting data at

your cleanup. Review the ICC’s data card to get an

idea of the types of debris you should record when

you find and remove them.

If You’re Participating

in the ICC...

There are a number of hazardous items, natural

items and other debris that may not be listed on

the International Coastal Cleanup Data Card.

Volunteers should clean up all debris they find on

the beach, but only record the items listed on the

data card.

Familiarize yourself with the items listed on the

data card and their associated debris producing

activities. This will make data collection easier

when you are on the beach. People often work in

teams with several volunteers collecting debris

items while one person records the data.

What does it include?

Activities That Produce Debris

Determining where all of the debris originates isno easy task since trash and litter can travel

long distances before being deposited on our shorelines. Data compiled from beach cleanups are used

to identify the activities that produce the debris

found in our waterways.

• Bags Many of these activities take place on land, and the • Balloons

debris is blown to the water, or carried by creeks, • Beverage bottles

rivers and storm drains to the shore. Other debris • Beverage cans

comes from activities on the water, including vessels, • Caps/lids offshore drilling rigs and platforms and fishing piers. • Clothing/shoes

• Cups/plates/utensils Shoreline and Recreational Activities • Food wrappers/ Where does the debris come from? containers

• Fast food restaurants and convenience stores • Six­pack holders

• Beachgoers • Pull tabs

• Picnickers • Shotgun shells/

• Sports and festival events wadding

• Litter carried from inland streets and storm • Straws/stirrers

drains • Toys

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Ocean/Waterway Activities

Where does the debris come from?

• Recreational fishing/boating

• Commercial fishing

• Oil and gas offshore rigs

• Commercial shipping

• Military ships

• Cruise ships

• Ferries

What Does It Include?

• Bait containers/packaging

• Bleach/cleaner bottles

• Buoys/floats

• Crab/lobster/fish traps

• Crates

• Fishing line

• Fishing lures/light sticks

• Fishing nets

• Light bulbs/tubes

• Oil/lube bottles

• Pallets

• Rope

• Sheeting/tarps

• Strapping bands

Smoking Related Activities

Where does the debris come from?

• The improper disposal and

littering of smoking related

materials and packaging

What does it include?

• Cigarettes/cigarette filters

• Cigar tips

• Lighters

• Tobacco packaging/wrappers

Dumping Activities

Where does the debris come from?

• The improper disposal (legal or illegal) of:

• Building and construction materials

• Cars and car parts

• Household appliances

What Does It Include?

• Appliances (refrigerators, washers, etc.)

• Batteries

• Building materials

• Cars/car parts

• 55­gallon drums

• Tires

Medical and Personal Hygiene Debris

Where does the debris come from?

• Sewers

• Storm drains

• Toilets

• Left by beachgoers

What does it include?

• Condoms

• Diapers

• Syringes/needles

• Tampons/tampon applicators

Be a Debris Investigator!

While cleaning up your beach, you may find a debris

item that has an address, phone number, name, or

other marking that will tell where it came from. By

tracing an item back to its origin or source, we

might be able to find the root of the problem causing the marine debris. For example, you may find

balloons that were released as part of a promotional

campaign or special celebration. Occasionally the

balloons will have the name of the organization or

event at which they were released. You can then

contact the group or individual responsible to

inform them of the negative impact balloons have

on the environment.

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Items Listed on the

Data Card

T he following is a description of the debris itemslisted on the Ocean Conservancy’s International

Coastal Cleanup Data Card.

Shoreline and Recreational Activities

Bags (paper or plastic)
 

Includes small bags such as grocery, trash,
 

food bags, etc., of any size, color, or material.
 

Balloons

Balloons are commonly

made of either rubber or

Mylar. Mylar balloons

appear shiny or metallic

and usually have a ribbon

or string attached. Any

identifying names or markings should be recorded—sometimes this can give

clues about where the balloon came from.

Bottles

Beverage (plastic), 2 liter or less: Any plastic water,

soda or juice containers as well as any other plastic

drink containers such as beer or other beverages.

Gallon jugs are not included in this category. Beverage

(glass): Any size, color or shape glass beverage

bottle used for juice, soda, beer, wine or liquor.

Cans

Beverage cans: any metal

can containing beverages

such as soda, juice or beer.

Caps, Lids

Includes plastic or metal caps and lids that are separate from their bottles or jars such as bottle caps

or fast food beverage container lids (e.g., coffee,

soda cup lids).

Clothing, Shoes

Includes all forms of clothing such as shirts, pants,

socks, underwear, gloves, jackets, hats, etc. Also

includes all forms of footwear such as dress or

casual shoes, sneakers, “flip flops,” sandals, water

shoes, etc.

Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons

Made of paper or plastic materials, these are commonly used for picnics, festivals, sporting events,

fast food, etc.

Food Wrappers,

Containers

Wrapping and packaging

materials from all foods,

including snack foods,

candy and fast food.

Six­Pack Holders

Also called six­pack rings, these plastic yokes are

used in the packaging of various beverages and

engine lubricants. They may also be made to hold

as few as four or as many as eight containers.

Pull Tabs

Removable metal tabs from soda, juice or beer

cans.

Shotgun Shells,

Wadding

Sometimes called shotgun

shells, casings from

shotgun ammunition are

made of metal and plastic

and are the result of skeet shooting, practice

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quently report finding the plastic wadding from

shotgun shells that separates the powder from the

shot.

Straws, Stirrers

Includes any disposable beverage straw or stirrer in

paper, plastic or wood.

Toys

This category includes any

children’s toys, including

toy cars and trucks, small

sand buckets and shovels,

balls, kites, small toy figurines, Frisbees, etc.

Ocean/Waterway Activities

Bait Containers,

Packaging

Includes any bait boxes,

bait bags (“zip­lock” or

plastic mesh bags) or bait

cups used by recreational/commercial fishers to hold bait. Many of

these containers have the name of the bait company printed on them.

Bleach, Cleaner Bottles

Plastic containers that are

varied in color (white, blue,

green) and are usually a

pint or gallon in size. They

contain substances used for

cleaning.

Buoys, Floats

Usually made of foamed

plastic in a variety of

shapes, sizes and colors.

Gillnet floats are small and

elongated with grooves

and holes. Ball floats are

commonly used on traps and nets and frequently

break free, washing onto shorelines.

Crab, Lobster, Fish Traps

These are usually square or

rectangular cages with

vents for crabs, lobsters or

fish to enter. They can be

made of metal or wood.

Crates

Includes heavy wooden containers that may be

found on the beach whole or in pieces.

Fishing Line

Also called monofilament line, fishing line is a

thin plastic line that is usually found in strands or a

tangled clump. Plastic fishing line can be clear or

colored.

Fishing Lures,

Light Sticks

Colorful plastic fishing

devices that may have

one or more fishing hooks

attached. Also included

in this category are the

“glow­in­the­dark” light sticks used by fishermen

to attract fish.

Fishing Nets

Nets may be thick or thin

plastic netting and are

usually found in tangled

clumps. Fishing nets may

be clear or colored.

Light Bulbs, Tubes

Light bulbs and fluorescent light tubes are commonly discarded from commercial vessels and offshore platforms. Incandescent light bulbs come in

various sizes and shapes. Glass light tubes are generally one to two inches in diameter and vary in

length from one to six feet. They may be whole or

broken.

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Oil, Lube Bottles

These are one­quart plastic

containers for oil or lubricants. They are usually

black, yellow or white and

may contain an oily

residue.

Pallets

Wooden pallets are flat and heavy, usually four to

five feet long and six to eight inches high. They are

used to help stack and transport cargo.

Plastic Sheeting, Tarps

Commonly used to cover

and protect cargo and

equipment onboard commercial boats and vessels.

Sheeting is usually clear

and thicker than a plastic

bag. Tarps are usually made of plastic­coated cloth

and come in a variety of colors but most commonly

blue.

Rope

Rope is made of twisted or

braided plastic or cotton,

and varies in color, diameter and length.

Strapping Bands

Strong, webbed bands of

plastic or metal, many of

which are about a halfinch in width. They may be

open or closed and are

mainly used to bind materials and boxes.

Smoking Related Activities

Cigarettes,

Cigarette Filters

Cigarette filters have been

the number one debris

item found in beach

cleanups worldwide for

the past ten years. The filters are made of cellulose

acetate, a synthetic fiber that can last for several

years in the environment. Also included in this category are the remains of non­filtered cigarettes.

Cigarette Lighters

This category is for any

disposable or non­disposable lighters.

Cigar Tips

The plastic cigar mouthpieces commonly used with

popular brands of thin

cigars.

Tobacco Packaging, Wrappers

This category includes any identifiable box, bag, cellophane wrapping material, round plastic or metal

jars/cans that may have contained a tobacco product

(cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco,

snuff, etc).

Dumping Activities

Appliances

This is a broad category that could include discarded

electrical items such as washers, dryers, refrigerators,

TVs, radios, toasters, freezers, etc. Most of these

items will be too heavy to remove. Notify local

authorities for professional and regulated removal.

Batteries

Batteries come in a variety

of sizes and shapes. All batteries are an environmental

hazard, whether they are

a small flashlight battery

or a car battery. Do not

attempt to remove large batteries such as a car or

truck battery. They are very heavy and may contain

dangerous chemicals. Notify local authorities for

professional and regulated removal.

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How to Organize a Beach Cleanup
 

in Your Community

1. Identify beach areas and other aquatic sites

(marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds) in your area that

need to be cleaned and that are safe and accessible

to volunteers and boaters.

•	 Ensure that you will have access to the site and

that you have the necessary permission to be at

the site.

•	 Identify potential volunteer check­in site(s) that

will be clearly visible and have available parking.

There should be a “check­in” station for volunteers to sign in and receive trash bags, data cards,

pencils and instructions.

•	 Volunteers should be instructed to return to the

check­in station when they are finished to bring

back their completed data cards and trash bags.

•	 The check­in station should be clearly accessible

and have parking. For example, if you are conducting a waterway cleanup, the station could be

located next to a boat ramp or central area of a

marina. You may want to post signs or posters

directing people to the proper location.

•	 Select site coordinators who can manage cleanup

activities at each site.

•	 Once you have identified your sites, check­in locations and site coordinators, please notify your state

or country coordinator so they can have the information handy when volunteers and media call.

2. Identify site coordinators who can manage

cleanup activities at each site. Hold a site coordinators’ meeting.

•	 This is your opportunity to distribute materials to

your local site coordinators and make sure they

understand what they have to do. They should

know the importance of data collection; how to

fill out the report forms; the importance of

keeping track of numbers of volunteers, trash collected (weight, number of bags filled), entangled

animals found and the benefits of working with

the media. All site coordinators should visit their

site before the cleanup (well in advance of the

cleanup event date), decide where they will set

up their check­in station, where the dumpster

and recycling container(s) should be located and

where volunteers will be sent to clean.

•	 Review what to do in case of a health emergency (see

#10) or with dead or entangled animals (see #11).

3. Contact merchants and other potential donors

who can supply drinks, food, raffle prizes or whatever else you might need.

•	 Many merchants will jump at the chance to be

involved in such a positive community event. It is

good public relations for them, and you can make

it even better by remembering to mention all

your donors and sponsors in press releases or conversations with the press. Donations of this type

also encourage participation.

4. Recycling.

•	 Contact recyclers in your area who

will accept aluminum, glass and

plastic bottles and make appropriate arrangements.

•	 Recycling the aluminum, glass, plastic, and in

some cases, other metals, should be a major

emphasis of your cleanup. Some localities may

have Recycling Coordinators in their Solid Waste

Departments who can assist you.

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•	 Plan ahead for how you will collect the recyclables.

You can have volunteers sort as they collect using a

specially marked trash bag to help volunteers

remember which bag to use for recyclables, or you

can identify a special group of volunteers who will

work during and after the cleanup to specifically

sort the recyclables for processing.

We recommend that you choose the first option as

it does not require the handling of the recyclables

more than once and it seems the easiest. However,

any way you feel comfortable organizing the separation of recyclables is fine. Be sure volunteers are

instructed to separate recyclable items before they

begin the cleanup.

5. Secure the support of a local solid waste hauler

who will donate its services the morning of the

cleanup to haul the trash.

•	 Contact a local waste collection company in your

area. Your municipal government may help and

may even waive the entrance fees at landfills or

incinerators for the event. If you have any problems in locating a hauler, please contact your

state or country coordinator.

•	 Plan ahead on how trash bags are going to be

removed. Will volunteers carry them back to the

check­in point, or will they leave them on the

beach above the high tide mark as they are filled

to be picked up later? If you chose the first

option, have your volunteers start at the far end

of the zone they will be cleaning and work their

way back to the check­in point.

6. Plan ahead for handling medical (syringes, etc.)

and sewage (condoms and tampons) waste or

other hazardous materials.

•	 Children should be instructed NOT TO TOUCH any

of this debris.

•	 Suggestions for adults include wearing gloves,

putting syringes in plastic gallon containers or

using flags or surveying

tape to mark the location of this debris so

another adult can return

to pick it up after the

cleanup for proper disposal. Be sure to have

the volunteers record these debris items.

•	 Exercise extreme caution if you find any hazardous debris such as ammunition, spent shells or

construction materials. Call your local waste

removal authority to handle this type of debris.

7. Arrange for a weight scale at cleanup sites to

weigh bags or get a weight from your waste

hauler when they pick up your trash bags from

the cleanup activity.

•	 You will be asked, “How many pounds of trash

were collected during your cleanup?” Although

this number can be deceiving (a few large, heavy

items can fill a dumpster a lot faster than many

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more dangerous, smaller, lighter trash items), it

does sound impressive in the news and serves to

highlight our trash problem.

There are several ways to calculate the weight of

trash collected:

• Secure a scale similar to those used in grocery

stores for weighing produce or one with a

hook on it to weigh each bag of trash before it

is heaved into a dumpster. This is the most

accurate way of reporting the weight.

• Sometimes your waste hauler can give you the

total weight of what they hauled away (either

a real weight or a good estimate by the

number of filled dumpsters).

• You can estimate the total weight by weighing

a random sample of 10 filled trash bags, calculating the average weight per bag, and multiplying that number by the total number of

filled trash bags.

If You’re Participating
 

in the ICC...
 

The Ocean Conservancy uses 15 pounds per bag as

a standard weight for conversions in the event that

alternative weighing methods are not available. In

order to calculate weight using this method, see

page 18.

8. Solicit volunteer participation for your cleanup

and work with the media.

• Distribute posters and brochures, contact local

schools, civic organizations, chambers of commerce, local environmental groups, industries

and others willing to participate in the

cleanup.

• If you have the time, contact specific environmental reporters (print and TV/radio media) in

your area who may be interested in a “before

and after” type of story. Get a photographer

to shoot pictures of a cleanup site before the

event to illustrate the trash problem, or supply

the press with some photos of your own. This

If You’re Participating
 

in the ICC...
 

Use the media announcements provided by Ocean

Conservancy (or your state coordinators), or create

your own, and distribute to local media as well as

to the groups listed above who may have their own

newsletters or flyers.

The state or country coordinator will often send

media advisories across the state or country.

However, the media is more often interested in your

local story and a personal call helps get information

on the cleanup published and announced. Always

mention that your local event is part of the

statewide/countrywide (and international) cleanup

coordinated by your state or country coordinator

and Ocean Conservancy.

will help encourage participation the day of

the event.

9. Maintain a list of people who respond and

express interest in the cleanup to get an indication

of the number of volunteers to expect at your

cleanup sites.

• This is optional, but may be important in case

you have too many people wanting to go to a

specific site. Others can possibly be diverted to

different sites that may need more participants.

• Also, consider ahead of time how volunteers

will be dispersed during the cleanup to cover

your whole cleanup area. For example, some

zone captains mark off sections of beach every

1/8 of a mile (or whatever distance is appropriate), and estimate how many volunteers, at

a minimum, are needed for each section.

Wooden stakes work well as markers, or

maybe telephone poles, if along a road, etc.

You or your site coordinators may want to

have maps of the cleanup site available for volunteers.

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C O M M U N I T Y B E A C H C L E A N U P S

10. Be prepared for health emergencies.

• Have first aid kits available at each cleanup

site or check­in location for small emergencies

like cuts and scrapes. You and your site coordinators should also review

what to do in the event of a

major health emergency

(heat exhaustion or heatstroke, broken bone, etc.).

Write out a plan and know

how to get to the closest

hospital or other emergency

facility. Some communities may want to have

rescue personal standing by, particularly for

areas expecting several hundred volunteers.

• Try to obtain walkie­talkies, two­way radios or

cell phones for site captains. This is useful for

staying in touch, even in the absence of emergencies. Local cellular phone companies may

donate phones.

• Provide safety tips to volunteers at the check­in

station (e.g., drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen, etc.).

• Find out which of your volunteers have medical training or know basic first aid or CPR.

11. Make sure volunteers know what to do with

dead, entangled or injured animals.

• Contact your local animal/wildlife rescue facilities to let them know that a coastal cleanup

will be occurring and that volunteers may find

injured wildlife. Ask how to properly care for

and transport injured animals, and which animals volunteers may and may not handle.

• Dead wildlife can usually be left alone.

However, dead entangled animals should be

removed because other animals may become

entangled with them.

• All entanglement and injury incidents should

be reported on the data cards.

12. Arrange for someone to take photos or

video of the event.

• Good video footage may be useful for future

public service announcements or other educational purposes.

• All photos and slides should be clearly labeled

with the photographer’s name, site location

and date.

If You’re Participating
 

in the ICC...
 

The state or country coordinators and Ocean

Conservancy need slides or digital photographs

of volunteers participating in cleanups at the

different types of sites. Photos of entangled

animals are also useful. These are used in the

final report, brochures, educational materials and

other publications. Active, close shots of people

picking up debris, using data cards, etc. are ideal.

Try not to take photos of people standing still,

from behind or from too far away.

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On The Day of the Cleanup

1. Set up your Check­in Station.

Be prepared before your volunteers start arriving!

Have your check­in station set up with all materials;

be sure your pencils are already sharpened and

sign­in sheets are ready for your volunteers. Post

signs, if necessary, to direct volunteers to parking

areas, the check­in station and cleanup areas. Your

dumpsters and recycling bins should be appropriately located and marked.

If You’re Participating

in the ICC...

1. Coordinate volunteers at cleanup sites.

Zone captains and site coordinators should distribute

materials and instruct the volunteers on the fol

lowing points as they arrive at the check in point:

• Have all volunteers sign in so you will have an

accurate record of the number of participants.

Your state or country coordinator and/or Ocean

Conservancy will ask you for a total number of

volunteers at your cleanup.

• Emphasize the importance of data collection.

Cataloging the type, amount and location of debris

found during the cleanup provides information

vital to identifying sources of the trash. This is the

ICC s priority and is what makes it different

from other cleanups. Volunteers in all partici

pating countries use identical data cards translated

into different languages, and all the information is

compiled into a comprehensive report. Post the ICC

Data Detective Poster at your cleanup site. The

data is used to create long term solutions and to

improve citizen education programs about the

problems caused by marine debris. Show volun

teers how to use tick marks to record debris items;

words such as lots and many are not useful for

data analysis.

• To facilitate data collection and sorting of

recyclable trash, encourage volunteers to

work in teams of four or five. Each volunteer in

the team should be given one to two trash bags.

Have them reserve one bag for aluminum, one for

plastic bottles, several others for glass and to sort

as they go. One volunteer should be designated the

data captain and be responsible for recording the

items picked up by the other volunteers on the data

card (they can call out the items as they go). This

person will become familiar with the card in short

order, making this task easier.

•	 Instruct volunteers on what to do if they find dead

or entangled animals, and how to report them.

•	 Instruct the volunteers on what they are to do with

the filled bags of trash.

2. As the volunteers finish, collect ALL completed

data cards.

• This is very important! Tell volunteers to return

the cards to the check in station immediately after

the cleanup. Have a clearly labeled box at the

check in station where the cards can be returned.

Review the cards to ensure they were properly

filled out, particularly with zone name, site name,

etc. You may want to fill out zone and site informa

tion on the data cards before the cleanup so the

volunteers don t misrepresent your zone and site

locations.

•	 Site coordinators can start reviewing the data cards

for any entangled animals not previously verbally

reported, foreign items, trash from cruise lines, etc.

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2. Oversee sorting and removal of the

recyclable debris and other trash.

Encourage volunteers to work in teams of four or

five. Each volunteer in the team should be given

one to two trash bags. Have them reserve one bag

for aluminum, one for plastic bottles, several others

for glass and to sort as they go.

Make sure the waste hauler takes all the trash away

and that no other materials are left behind.

Immediately After the Cleanup

Congratulate yourself, your site coordinators

and all volunteers for an excellent job!

Recognize your local coordinators with a follow­up

thank­you letter or certificate.

If You’re Participating

in the ICC...

1. Be prepared to report your cleanup s statis

tics to your state or country coordinator that

evening or shortly thereafter.

•	 You should compile cleanup information, such as

the total number of people, pounds, and miles in

your cleanup, any entanglements, unusual items,

number of trash bags filled, etc. as soon as pos

sible after the cleanup. Your state or country coor

dinator may provide you with forms to fill out.

Please have them ready by the phone. The media

starts contacting cleanup organizers as early as

Saturday evening, so it is important to have your

best estimate, if not the final counts, available

right after your cleanup.

2. Gather all completed and unused data cards,

ensure that completed cards are properly coded

and sorted by site and send them to your state

or country coordinator.

•	 Keep data cards sorted by site. This allows data

entry to be as uncomplicated as possible and helps

with accuracy.

3. Please obtain a copy of any newspaper arti

cles or other information or media announce

ments and send to state or country coordinator,

who will then forward them to Ocean

Conservancy.

•	 This helps Ocean Conservancy see how its media

relations efforts are working, and the organization

keeps these on file to demonstrate its success to

sponsors.

4. Some state and country coordinators conduct

a follow up survey with their zone captains

several weeks after the Cleanup.

•	 This is intended to gauge the success of the mate

rials developed for promotion of the cleanup,

effectiveness of media coverage, etc. They then use

this information to plan for next year s cleanup to

make the event more efficient and effective.

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BEACh CleanUp Tips

Safety first

• Wear gloves to collect the debris.

• Be careful with glass, syringes (needles),

or other sharp objects.

• Don’t lift anything heavy.

• Stay out of dune areas.

• Watch for wildlife.

• Avoid stepping on dune plants and

beach grasses.

• Notify your beach captain immediately

of any stranded, injured or entangled

animals.

• Stay away from large drums or fivegallon buckets. Report their location to

the cleanup coordinator or proper

authorities.

Things to bring

• Plenty of water

• Sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself

from the sun

• Insect repellent

• Shoes or sneakers that protect your feet

• A camera to document volunteers in

action and any strange items you may

find

• Work gloves or rubber gloves

Data collection

• Clean up all debris found on your beach

or shoreline.

• Don’t collect natural items like driftwood or seaweed.

If You’re Participating

in the ICC...

Data collection

•	 Review the ICC data card before beginning your

cleanup! Read and follow all instructions.

•	 Clean up all debris found on your beach or

shoreline.

•	 Record information only on the items listed on

the ICC data card.

•	 Collect data as a team, with one person

recording information on the data card while

others pick up and bag the trash and sort the

recyclables.

•	 Count and tally items in groups of five and

record the total in the box.

•	 Do not write words like lots or many. Use

numbers only!

•	 Be as accurate as possible. The more accurate

your information, the better we can work to

reduce and eliminate trash and debris pollution.

•	 Don t collect natural items like driftwood or sea

weed.

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Estimating Distances and

Weights for the ICC

Since 1986, volunteers from 127 countries haveparticipated in the ICC. Evaluation of the

cleanup activities each year highlights the amount

of debris collected (weight) and the distance

cleaned (miles or kilometers). Properly estimating

and reporting the “Distance Cleaned” and “Total

Estimated Weight Collected” is extremely important

in assessing the volume of activity conducted by the

volunteers in each country.

Below are some simple guidelines and tips to help

you record “Distance Cleaned” and “Total

Estimated Weight Collected.”

Estimating Distance Cleaned
 

Record the “Distance Cleaned” in miles or kilometers.
 

Estimate the longest linear length (i.e., from point A to point B along beach transect line)
 

cleaned by the volunteers. Do not use area measurements, such as square feet, square
 

miles, square kilometers or acres.
 

If your cleaned shoreline has been measured in areas (square feet, miles, kilometers, etc.),
 

use the following method to convert area measurements to linear distances:
 

Number of square feet cleaned divided by 10 feet* divided by 5280 feet (one

mile) = linear miles cleaned

*10 feet represents an average linear path cleaned by a volunteer (five feet on

each side of the person)

Example 1: Volunteer reports cleaning one­acre area.

One acre = 43,560 ft2

43,560 ÷10 ÷ 5280 = 0.825 miles cleaned

Example 2: Volunteer reports cleaning 5000 ft2

5000 ÷10 ÷ 5280 = 0.094 miles

Estimating weight Collected
 

Record the “Total Estimated Weight Collected” in pounds or kilograms. To help you

estimate, assume that: one “full” trash bag = 15 lbs. NOTE: A bag weighing more than

15 lbs. is too heavy for most volunteers to carry.

18 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION / WWW.MARINEDEBRIS.NOAA.GOV
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ICC Data Cards

T he data cards are critically important to theCleanup’s success. The ICC’s purpose is not just

to collect trash, but also to collect data and information on the sources and behaviors behind

marine debris pollution. The data cards provide

information on sources and behaviors and set the

ICC apart from other cleanup events that only pick

up trash. Ocean Conservancy also uses the cards

to compile, analyze and compare the types and

sources of debris collected from year to year. The

cards provide for the recording of specific debris

items that are indicative of the activities and

sources producing the debris (recreational and

shoreline, ocean/waterway, smoking­related, medical/personal hygiene and dumping activities). The

result is a unique continuing global database of

information collected at every cleanup around the

world.

In order to be a part of the International Coastal

Cleanup, your local cleanups must use ICC data

card. How many data cards will you need? Typically,

three to five volunteers will work on one data card.

Estimate the number of people you expect to participate in your cleanup (or increase your previous

year’s results by a small percentage such as 5 to 10

percent) and divide that estimate by three to five.

For example, if you expect roughly 1,000 people for

your state or country cleanup, order approximately

200 to 330 data cards. Please be conservative in

your data card orders. Ocean Conservancy prints a

finite amount each year. Data cards are currently

available through Ocean Conservancy in English

Spanish, French and Portuguese.

It is imperative that Ocean Conservancy receives

ALL ICC data cards as soon as possible

after a cleanup and no later than

November 15. This will ensure that your

state or country is fairly and accurately

represented in Ocean Conservancy’s

analysis. Ocean Conservancy strives to

process and report the ICC data results in

the most timely and efficient manner possible. Your prompt response is an essential

part of the reporting process.

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