Cleaning Up After the “Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year”

For years, Surfrider has dubbed the day after the Fourth of July the “Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year”, with beaches all over the country experiencing catastrophically high volumes of trash left behind from holiday revelers.  Thanks to a growing number of firework bans in Oregon’s coastal cities, and the fact that fireworks are illegal on all Oregon beaches, our state doesn’t get hit quite as hard as others, but that doesn’t mean our beaches are pristine after the holiday.  

This year, Oregon chapters hosted 16 cleanups over the holiday weekend, collecting a stunning amount of firework debris and cigarette butts, among other remnants from careless partiers.  All in all, 375 volunteers across four chapters cleared over 2,000 lbs of trash from our beaches and rivers!  Additionally, we placed five barrels at beach access points on the central coast, which prevented 640 lbs of trash from reaching the beach.  I’m proud to report we doubled the number of cleanup sites and trash poundage collected compared to last year, and nearly quadrupled the number of volunteers out on the beach!!

1 Volunteers in Portland hosted their annual Ross Island Paddle Cleanup, taking to the Willamette River in kayaks, canoes, and SUPs.  Photo: Nic Maxson

2 The haul from Yaquina Bay State Park.  Photo: Megan Hoff

3 This crew arrived early to collect trash from Ona Beach.  Some folks even attended multiple cleanups throughout the day!  Photo: Jennie Warmack

4 Shout out to Thomas who collected 30 lbs of trash from the Yaquina Bay South Jetty.  Photo: Megan Hoff

5 The Portland crew with their haul from Ross Island in the Willamette River.  Photo: Nic Maxson

6 Volunteers collected 500 lbs of trash from Bastendorff Beach.  Photo: Annie Pollard

This cleanup effort is a massive undertaking, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you that volunteered your time to protect our beaches and marine ecosystems from the massive influx of trash this summer.  Each person can make a difference, and by working together, our impact is unmatched.  Additionally, a big shout out goes to the cities, counties, local waste haulers, community partners, and businesses that supported our cleanups this year.

We focused heavily on education before the holiday this year, thanks to a marine debris prevention grant from NOAA.  Bilingual educational messaging went up around Lincoln County and on social media, informing folks about the harmful effects of fireworks and what alternatives exist, plus offering other ocean friendly holiday tips.  Additionally, we are working on a guide for other chapters to use so that we can continue to grow our July 5th cleanup program in the future.

Data collected from cleanups in Lincoln County showed that the top five items found were fireworks, cigarette butts, small plastic fragments, paper/wood pieces, and small foam fragments.  Cigarette butts and paper/wood pieces are not typically found in such large quantities in Lincoln County cleanups during the rest of the year, which suggests that they might be connected with holiday activities along with the fireworks collected by volunteers.

1 Shout out to our friends at Cape Perpetua Collaborative, who hosted a cleanup in Yachats!  Photo: Jennie Warmack

2 And to our friends at the Oregon Coast Aquarium who hosted at South Beach!  Photo: Skye Whitney

3 Not only do fireworks release toxic chemicals and heavy metals, they also pose a fire risk.  This burnt bucket was left behind on the beach.  Photo: Annie Pollard

4 Thank you to all the volunteers who showed up with a smile on their face!  You are super stars!  Photo: Annie Pollard

5 Great weather for a beach cleanup on the South Coast.  Photo: Annie Pollard

While beach cleanups will always be an important piece of the puzzle, it’s clear that we must turn off the tap in order to address the plastic pollution crisis.  Data collected at cleanups year round is used to inform policy so that we can achieve a world without unnecessary single use plastics.  You can learn more about our cleanups and policy efforts in our newly published 2023 Beach Cleanup Report, which analyzed almost 200,000 pounds of trash collected by volunteers at nearly a thousand cleanups last year.

If you weren’t able to join a cleanup this month, or if you want to do more to support these kinds of efforts in your local community, consider becoming a member (or renewing your membership!) as part of our summer membership drive! To sign up, head to your local chapter’s page, click the “Donate” button on the top right, and contribute what you can.  Any donation above $5 gets you a membership, and proceeds go directly to your local chapter to support the important work they’re doing.