A dry 2024 delayed plastic trash making its way to R.I. beaches
Did you lose your AirPods at this beach this summer?
They may not be gone after all. A single pair of AirPods was among the 21,662 pounds of trash that volunteers collected along Rhode Island’s shoreline this fall, according to Save the Bay’s 2024 International Coastal Cleanup report published Friday.
Far more prolific — and concerning to environmental advocates — were the thousands of cigarette butts, empty bottles, straws and disposable food containers collected and categorized as part of the annual cleanup effort.
Cigarette butts were the top find — comprising more than one-fifth of the nearly 115,000 pieces of trash collected by 2,700 volunteers between September and November 2024. Plastic and foam pieces took the number two spot, followed by food wrappers, beverage containers, and a laundry list of other items, including a surprising number of shoes and slippers (260). In 2023, plastic beat out cigarettes for the No. 1 spot for the first time in the 35-year history of the Rhode Island event.