Successful and Fun Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation

Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation

Date: Saturday, Oct. 4th

Time: 9 am - 11 am

No rain date

Meeting Location: Bathhouse/Snack Bar at Scusset Beach

We had a great time during our annual Scusset Beach State Reservation Clean-Up this past Saturday. Over 15 people joined NECWA staff as we worked hard to pick up the trash along the shores of Scusset Beach.

Kerry, Mary and Jessica checked everyone in as folks met us at the beginning of the boardwalk. Once checked in, everyone picked up their Coastsweep data sheets, protective gloves and trash bags.

Checking in. 

Before heading to the beach, many participants checked out our free educational material that included buttons, bracelets and literature. Then it was time to get to work.

NECWA Intern Fabi helping to set-up the table. 

Food, drinks and free educational material for all!

Once on the beach, each team headed in a different direction to cover as much area as possible. At the end of the day, Leah figured out that we had collected over 110 pounds of garbage as we picked-up the garbage along the beach and shoreline areas.

Mangled sail from a sailboat. Great find!

The most numerous items that we collected were cigarette filters and plastic food wrappers. The biggest and heaviest item collected was a mangled sail from a sailboat. It took four of us to pull the sail and its cables completely out of the sand.

Some of the marine debris that was now ready for weighing.

Around 10:30 am, Park Director John DeCosta and his amazing team drove their Kabotas onto the beach in order to pick up the garbage bags and the sail that we had filled during the event.

Leah and Fabi checkin in the data sheets and garbage bags.

Weighing the bags and recording the information for Coastsweep.

Muscle woman - LEAH!

Then it was time to head back to the snack bar in order to compile all the data and weigh all the bags. After all the data was in and the trash weighed, it was time to relax and partake in all the good food that NECWA and our staff had made for this very special occasion.

Once everyone had something to eat and drink it was time for NECWA's free nature raffle. NECWA always provides a free raffle to thank participants for joining us for this event. Everyone who joined us walked away with lots of freebees and one raffle gift.

Thanks to the NECWA staff who helped with this clean-up effort, including Leah, Mary, Kerry and Jason. Thanks also to our NECWA interns, Fabiana and Jessica, for doing such a great job at the snack bar and on the beach.

Choosing your free nature raffle gift. 

A big thanks to John DeCosta, Jimmy, Peter and all his staff for their amazing support and assistance. We always look forward to seeing them and working with them each fall.

And a special thanks to all the people who joined us on Saturday morning for what turned out to be a very successful and fun clean-up effort. We thank you for your support and hope to see you next fall at our next Scusset Beach Clean-up Effort.

Check back for a tally of the items that we collected during this beach clean-up. All the data will be sent to Coastsweep and then shared with the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC.

This beach cleanup is part of a larger effort through COASTSWEEP, the Massachusetts-wide coastal cleanup that occurs during September and October. And our beach cleanup at Scusset Beach is in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

COASTSWEEP cleanups are organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Each fall, thousands of volunteers collect tons of trash from beaches, marshes, riverbanks and the seafloor. These cleanups are part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. Last year alone, 2,588 volunteers cleaned 139 miles of coastline, collecting more than seven tons of trash.