Nov. 10, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 444

For more information, contact Joanna Wilson, Delaware Coastal Cleanup Coordinator, DNREC Public Affairs, at 302-739-9902. 

Coastal Cleanup nets 9.6 tons of trash from Delaware waterways

The final numbers are in: 2,002 community volunteers at this year’s Delaware Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 19 collected about 9.6 tons of trash from 41 sites along Delaware’s waterways and coastline stretching from Wilmington to Fenwick Island.

Topping the list of interesting or unusual items this year were an iron blast furnace, weedwacker, power drill, mattress and box spring, child seats, boogie board, bike pedal, baseball glove, car ramp, toilet seat and tank float, a jar of cherry peppers, shopping carts, sawhorse, hockey stick, two grills (one gas and one charcoal), laundry basket, air conditioner and a copy of the Capitol School District Code of Conduct.

Other items were notable in their numbers. Statewide, volunteers picked up seven propane tanks, 127 old tires (weighing in at more than 3,000 pounds), nearly 1,100 balloons, more than 3,700 plastic bags, almost 15,000 cigarette butts and about 26,000 pieces of food-related trash, including more than 9,000 plastic, glass and aluminum beverage containers. In addition, volunteers collected nearly 1,200 fishing-related items including bait containers, crab traps, and fishing line, lures and nets.

“One of the most important goals of the Coastal Cleanup is to raise public awareness about the kinds of trash that are ending up in our parks, wildlife areas and waterways, and to remind everyone of the vital importance of proper trash disposal,” said Joanna Wilson, Delaware Coastal Cleanup coordinator.

The Delaware cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, the Ocean Conservancy’s flagship program dealing with marine debris and data collection. Delaware’s event is organized by DNREC and co-sponsored by Delmarva Power and Playtex. The types and quantities of trash collected are recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles the information to help identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

“Removing nearly 10 tons of trash from our waterways makes the 2009 Delaware Coastal Cleanup a great success, and I’d like to thank our volunteers and sponsors for their support,” Wilson added. “We hope our volunteers will mark their calendars for next year’s cleanup.”

Delaware’s next Coastal Cleanup is set for Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register to ensure sites receive enough supplies and complementary t-shirts. Interested volunteers can check out DNREC’s website at www.delaware.dnrec.gov next summer for registration information.