CoastSweep Beach Clean-up

More than 25 citizen volunteers recently cleaned the Harwich harbor coastline and local beaches. The Coastsweep event was coordinated by the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) with strong support from the Town of Harwich Natural Resources Department and Highway Department.  More than 200 pounds of trash were collected, including 601 cigarette butts, 225 food wrappers, 36 food take-out containers, 64 bottle caps, 46 straws, 123 plastic bags, 127 pieces of foam/plastic packaging, 19 paper bags, 51 balloons, 187 beverage cans, 96 plastic bottles, 41 glass bottles, 3 diapers, 6 buoys, 51 yards of rope, 35 fishing nets, 57 fireworks products, 295 pieces of foam, glass and plastic under an inch long, dog waste, and other debris.    The waterfront areas included Red River Beach, Neil Road Beach, Wychmere Harbor, Bank St. Beach, Earle Rd. Beach, Grey Neck Beach, Pleasant Bay Beach at Bay Rd., Pleasant St. Beach, and Long Pond Beach.  This effort was part of the statewide COASTSWEEP campaign (www.coastsweep.umb.edu), the Commonwealth’s annual coastal cleanup program, organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston.