The largest single volunteer event in the state, it involves people picking up trash from the state s rocky and sandy shoreline. Volunteers met at a specified site. People are grouped in twos or threes, with one or two picking up the trash and one person recording the type of debris on special data cards. They note the distance they cover, the number of trash bags they fill, and any unusual objects they pick up. A special note is made of any dead animals found, particularly those entangled in plastic.
Volunteers turn in their data cards to the cleanup site coordinator.
The data cards are sent to the Center for Marine Conservation, which works to identify sources of marine debris and to devise solutions to the marine debris problem.