Adopt-a-Beach

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https://greatlakes.org/2026/01/webinar-waves-of-change-taking-action-to-protect-the-great-lakes/

tfazzini

Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers Make Ripples Beyond the Shoreline

On: December 10, 2025

In: Adopt-a-Beach

Our amazing Adopt-a-Beach volunteers removed 541,750 pieces of litter – more than 23,000 pounds – from Great Lakes beaches, trails, parks, and marinas in 2025! Their work kept more than 11 tons of plastic waste and other litter out of the Great Lakes.

And their work made ripples far beyond the shoreline.

“Each cleanup makes a lasting impact,” says Olivia Reda, the Alliance’s Volunteer Engagement Manager. “The day of the cleanup, volunteers come together and do something positive for their community. After the cleanup is over, the data they collected helps our region for years to come.”

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers tally up the litter they find, adding to a Great Lakes litter dataset the Alliance for the Great Lakes has maintained since 2003. In 2025, the data was used to help students, educators, and policy makers throughout the region.

Adopt-a-Beach data is helping students learn

High school and college students are using Adopt-a-Beach data to learn about plastic pollution and to hone their data analytics skills.

7th-12th grade students at Harbor City International School in Duluth, Minnesota, have participated in 19 Adopt-a-Beach cleanups over the past 10 years. This year, science teacher Brian Scott invited the Alliance to share summary data from the school’s local cleanups and show students how their efforts have contributed to the regional dataset. “Our own trash pick-ups have been used in research projects with the Alliance! I thought that was very cool,” said one student. Another student noted that while cleanups are important, systemic solutions are also needed and we aren’t going to see real change “until we go to the source of the problem.”
At Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, student Sabrina Bernard used Adopt-a-Beach data to analyze litter trends on five Lake Michigan beaches from Chicago to Milwaukee. Her advisor, Professor of Chemistry Raymund Torralba, has led cleanups at Chicago’s Montrose Beach for many years. Sabrina presented a poster of her findings and recommendations at the Truman Symposium of Student Research and Creative Activity.
At University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business, Professor Joan Shapiro Beigh and MBA candidate Grace Iyiola are using Adopt-a-Beach data to help business students hone their data analytics skills. Beigh and Iyiola’s seminar on Data Analytics & Innovation features a deep dive into Wisconsin’s 2024 shoreline litter data. “Students are examining Adopt-a-Beach data from several different perspectives,” says Beigh. “What would I want to know if I were a government agency? A researcher? A tourist bureau? They’re learning how to probe a large dataset, practice data visualization, and start telling stories with data. And, in the process, they’re learning a lot about the plastic littering Wisconsin’s shorelines.”

Adopt-a-Beach data is changing policy

Students aren’t the only ones learning from Adopt-a-Beach. Policymakers are also using the data to learn about plastic pollution, better understand it, and come up with solutions.

“Every time plastics legislation is discussed in the Great Lakes Basin, Adopt-a-Beach data is utilized,” says Andrea Densham, Senior Policy Advisor to the Alliance. “Adopt-a-Beach data is being referenced from city councils to bi-national organizations as they consider robust and forward-thinking policies and strategies to combat plastic pollution.”

Adopt-a-Beach data was cited this year in conversations about plastic pollution at the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, and the International Joint Commission. One outcome is a growing movement to monitor the level of microplastics in the Great Lakes and our drinking water.

In the Michigan state house, Adopt-a-Beach data was used in testimony supporting a bill to start monitoring microplastics in Michigan’s lakes and rivers. In Illinois, Adopt-a-Beach data was included in testimony supporting a bill to phase out plastic foam foodware. And in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Environmental Advisory Council’s single‑use plastics subcommittee is combining Adopt-a-Beach data with findings from a city litter study and local survey data for stakeholder conversations about single-use plastics.

Data totals for 2025

Thank you to all the Adopt-a-Beach Team Leaders and volunteers who cared for their shorelines this year! Here are their totals for 2025:

Litter material. 81% plastic. 19% other materials.

Litter type. 39% tiny trash. 24% food-related. 18% smoking-related. 19% other.

A map showing pins at locations around U.S. Great Lakes shorelines.

A special thanks to this year’s top Adopt-a-Beach sponsors: Dr. Scholl Foundation, Freudenberg, HSBC, and Meijer.

Join Adopt-a-Beach

Adopt-a-Beach is a fun, free way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers Make Ripples Beyond the Shoreline appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/12/adopt-a-beach-volunteers-make-ripples-beyond-the-shoreline/

Host a Shoreline Cleanup Find a Cleanup Near You

Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers Make Ripples Beyond the Shoreline

On: December 10, 2025

In: Adopt-a-Beach

And their work made ripples far beyond the shoreline.

Adopt-a-Beach data is helping students learn

High school and college students are using Adopt-a-Beach data to learn about plastic pollution and to hone their data analytics skills.

7th-12th grade students at Harbor City International School in Duluth, Minnesota, have participated in 19 Adopt-a-Beach cleanups over the past 10 years. This year, science teacher Brian Scott invited the Alliance to share summary data from the school’s local cleanups and show students how their efforts have contributed to the regional dataset. “Our own trash pick-ups have been used in research projects with the Alliance! I thought that was very cool,” said one student. Another student noted that while cleanups are important, systemic solutions are also needed and we aren’t going to see real change “until we go to the source of the problem.”
At Harry S. Truman College in Chicago, student Sabrina Bernard used Adopt-a-Beach data to analyze litter trends on five Lake Michigan beaches from Chicago to Milwaukee. Her advisor, Professor of Chemistry Raymund Torralba, has led cleanups at Chicago’s Montrose Beach for many years. Sabrina presented a poster of her findings and recommendations at the Truman Symposium of Student Research and Creative Activity.
At University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business, Professor Joan Shapiro Beigh and MBA candidate Grace Iyiola are using Adopt-a-Beach data to help business students hone their data analytics skills. Beigh and Iyiola’s seminar on Data Analytics & Innovation features a deep dive into Wisconsin’s 2024 shoreline litter data. “Students are examining Adopt-a-Beach data from several different perspectives,” says Beigh. “What would I want to know if I were a government agency? A researcher? A tourist bureau? They’re learning how to probe a large dataset, practice data visualization, and start telling stories with data. And, in the process, they’re learning a lot about the plastic littering Wisconsin’s shorelines.”

Adopt-a-Beach data is changing policy

Students aren’t the only ones learning from Adopt-a-Beach. Policymakers are also using the data to learn about plastic pollution, better understand it, and come up with solutions.

Data totals for 2025

Thank you to all the Adopt-a-Beach Team Leaders and volunteers who cared for their shorelines this year! Here are their totals for 2025:

A special thanks to this year’s top Adopt-a-Beach sponsors: Dr. Scholl Foundation, Freudenberg, HSBC, and Meijer.

Join Adopt-a-Beach

Adopt-a-Beach is a fun, free way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers Make Ripples Beyond the Shoreline appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/12/adopt-a-beach-volunteers-make-ripples-beyond-the-shoreline/

5 Reasons Why Our Volunteers Are the Heart of the Alliance

On: April 21, 2025

In: Adopt-a-Beach

It often starts the same way.
A pair of gloves. A trash receptacle. A stretch of shoreline that’s seen better days.

When our volunteers show up, something shifts.

They bring more than time. They bring intention. A quiet kind of leadership that doesn’t need a spotlight — just a reason. And for them, protecting the Great Lakes has always been reason enough.

At the Alliance for the Great Lakes, we believe lasting change is built by people who care deeply — and act consistently. This Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’re honored to celebrate those who show us what that looks like.

Here are five reasons why our volunteers aren’t just helpful — they’re the heartbeat of this work.

1. They Show Up and Show Out
In 2024, volunteers held 925 cleanups across all five Great Lakes and in all eight Great Lakes states. That’s more than just a strong turnout — that’s a region-wide demonstration of care. Together, they collected 573,608 pieces of litter — 42,000 more than the year before — and removed 23,560 pounds of litter from our shorelines. Our volunteers never fail to rise to the moment.

2. They Build a Record and Create a Voice for the Lakes
Every piece of litter collected — all 10 million and counting since 2003 — is logged into a growing community science database. It’s now one of the most comprehensive sources of data about Great Lakes litter available, used by researchers, advocates, and lawmakers alike. In 2024 alone, volunteers contributed 28,312 hours and participated in 11,342 volunteer experiences — both up from the year before. That’s not just data — that’s dedication.

3. They Create a Ripple Effect Across Communities
From longtime volunteers to first-timers, we see the same energy: hopeful, steady, and committed.

As Annie P. from Illinois said:

“Lake Michigan changes every day except in its unwavering beauty. Thank you to every volunteer for all the work you do on behalf of all the Great Lakes.”

This work inspires. One cleanup can turn into a family tradition. One data point can shape policy. One act of care can reach across neighborhoods and generations.

Two women stand behind a table filled with Great Lakes maps and papers.

A man in a Volunteer t-shirt shakes hands with another man while a child looks on.

4. They Help Turn Data into Action

The work our volunteers do has helped push forward policy change — like Illinois’ recent ban on single-use plastic toiletry bottles in hotels and growing efforts to reduce plastic waste.

And our volunteers reach out to their elected officials – at the state and federal level – by the thousands. They send messages in support of policies that protect the lakes from invasive species, plastic pollution, toxic algal blooms, and more.

Because of their data, their dedication, and their stories — lawmakers are listening. This is how grassroots action becomes real-world results. Our volunteers help carry that momentum forward.

5. Our Ambassadors Expand our Reach and Share our Message Our Alliance Ambassadors spread love for the lakes and awareness of the lakes across the entire Great Lakes region. They build community and allow the Alliance to have a larger and deeper reach. By meeting with people in school groups, local civic organizations, faith groups and more, they show how we’re all connected by the water we share.

To every Alliance volunteer — thank you.

As Mary E. from Ontario wrote so thoughtfully:

“You keep this beloved area safe… a refuge and a home for people and creatures of all kinds.”

Your efforts reflect something bigger than a cleanup. They reflect a commitment to legacy — to passing on a cleaner, safer Great Lakes region to future generations.

Thank you for your time, your energy, and your steady presence.

You show us what it looks like to protect what we love. And because of you, the Great Lakes truly are in great hands.

The post 5 Reasons Why Our Volunteers Are the Heart of the Alliance appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2025/04/5-reasons-why-our-volunteers-are-the-heart-of-the-alliance/

Michelle Farley

3 Big Firsts for Adopt-a-Beach

On: December 9, 2024

In: Adopt-a-Beach

Thanks to our amazing volunteers, Adopt-a-Beach celebrated three big firsts in 2025.

Adopt-a-Beach on your phone

This spring, our beach cleanup program launched a new system that allows volunteers to tally litter data on their phones.

“Adopt-a-Beach volunteers helped shape this project from start to finish,” says Olivia Reda, Volunteer Engagement Manager. “Volunteers asked for a way to tally litter data on their phones. They gave us feedback as the system was being developed. A small group of volunteers tested out the system last year. And volunteers are still helping improve it with their responses to a recent survey.”

The new system provides many benefits for Adopt-a-Beach volunteers. “It saves waste to use your phone instead of paper forms,” says Reda, “and you don’t have to deal with the wind blowing away your paper.” Volunteers get instant feedback on how many pieces of litter they’ve picked up without having to count hash marks on paper forms. Team Leaders – especially leaders of large cleanups – “save a lot of time” using phones for check-in and data collection. “It’s a smoother process overall,” says Reda. “Team Leaders spend less time on logistics, so there’s more time for them to educate and advocate at their cleanups.”

“It’s great to see how ideas from our volunteers improve Adopt-a-Beach for everyone!” says Reda.

10 million pieces of litter

Tallying litter year after year helped reveal an amazing accomplishment. Volunteers have removed more than 10 million pieces of litter from the five Great Lakes’ shorelines since Adopt-a-Beach started tracking litter data in 2003.

Keeping 10 million pieces of litter out of our lakes is no small feat. And Adopt-a-Beach volunteers have done even more. The data they’ve collected show litter patterns, raise awareness about plastic pollution, and help pass policies to reduce plastic pollution and litter.

“One of the things I love about Adopt-a-Beach is how long our volunteers’ work lasts,” says Reda. “On the days of their cleanups, volunteers keep plastic and other trash out of the Great Lakes. People who see the cleanups are often inspired to do cleanups of their own weeks or months later. And the litter data our volunteers collect becomes part of a 20-plus year dataset that’s helping communities find solutions to plastic pollution.”

A groundbreaking report

In April, the Alliance released a groundbreaking report based on the dataset volunteers have collected. The report, which found that the vast majority of litter volunteers collect is plastic, gained national media attention and has strengthened national and state-level efforts to reduce the scourge of Great Lakes plastic pollution.

“Thanks to Adopt-a-Beach volunteers, we know that 86% of shoreline litter is plastic,” says Reda, who authored the report. “40% is in the ‘tiny trash’ category. Much of the plastic comes from single-use items.”

Plastic pollution threatens human health and the environment. The report outlines solutions that include businesses, governments, and manufacturers.

Thanks to volunteers’ work, momentum is building to reduce plastic pollution. You can read about some recent wins in the fight against plastic pollution here.

The numbers for 2024

Thank you to all the Adopt-a-Beach Team Leaders and volunteers who cared for their shorelines this year! Here are some highlights of what they accomplished in 2024:

Litter Type: 37% tiny trash. 26% food-related. 19% smoking-related. 18% other.

Litter Material: 79% plastic. 21% other materials.

A special thanks to this year’s top Adopt-a-Beach sponsors: Dr. Scholl Foundation, Freudenberg, HSBC, Meijer, and Unilever.

Join Adopt-a-Beach

Adopt-a-Beach is a fun, free way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post 3 Big Firsts for Adopt-a-Beach appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/12/3-big-firsts-for-adopt-a-beach/

Read About Plastic Pollution & Solutions Volunteer with Adopt-a-Beach

10 Million Pieces of Litter Collected from Great Lakes Shorelines

On: September 4, 2024

In: Adopt-a-Beach

10 million pieces of litter kept out of the Great Lakes.

Chicago, IL (September 4, 2024) – Today, the Alliance for the Great Lakes announced an Adopt-a-Beach milestone. In the twenty-one years the Alliance has been tracking trash collected by the organization’s dedicated volunteers, more than 10 million pieces of litter have been removed from the five Great Lakes’ shorelines.

“Our terrific volunteers do the incredibly hard work of not only cleaning the beaches but also take the time to catalog what they find. It may surprise people that instead of finding large items like bikes and tires, it’s mostly smaller bits of plastic trash. Their findings show litter patterns, raise awareness about plastic pollution, and help pass policies to reduce plastic pollution and litter,” said Olivia Reda, Alliance for the Great Lakes Volunteer Engagement Manager.

In April, the Alliance released for the first time 20 years of data collected by Adopt-a-Beach volunteers that show 86% of the trash was either fully or partially made from plastic. Single-use plastic breaks down into much smaller pieces — microplastics — which have been found in our drinking water, fish, and even in human tissue. The building blocks of plastic are toxic and use large amounts of fossil fuels in their production.

“I am consistently humbled and inspired by the hard work Alliance Adopt-a-Beach volunteers do, using their precious free time to clean up the region’s beaches. Plastic producers should give our volunteers a break by taking responsibility for the pollution they produce,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO.

There is serious momentum across the country to steer the burden of plastic pollution away from consumers by holding producers accountable for the plastics that choke beaches and lakes, The Alliance for the Great Lakes has called for implementing extended producer responsibility policies — holding producers responsible across the life cycle of their products and packaging, from design and materials to end-of-life management.

In August, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed a bill into law to eliminate the use of small, single-use plastic bottles containing personal care products in hotels. Minnesota became the fifth state in the U.S. to establish extended producer responsibility legislation for packaging, joining the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, which have been implementing policies holding producers accountable for years. In the United States, extended producer responsibility laws have passed in Maine, California, Oregon and Colorado.

The Biden Administration announced in July that the federal government would phase out its purchases of single-use plastics since it is the biggest buyer of consumer goods in the world. At the Federal level, the Alliance is supporting the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, the Farewell to Foam Act, and the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act.

If you would like to volunteer to join an Alliance for the Great Lakes Adopt-a-Beach cleanup event, please follow this link: https://adopt.greatlakes.org/s/

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If you are a member of the media and would like more information about covering an Adopt-a-Beach cleanup event, please contact Don Carr at dcarr@greatlakes.org.

Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution

86% of litter collected on Great Lakes beaches is composed either partially or fully of plastic. Learn how you can make a difference.

The post 10 Million Pieces of Litter Collected from Great Lakes Shorelines appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/09/10-million-pieces-of-litter-collected-from-great-lakes-shorelines/

Read About Plastic Pollution & Solutions Host or Join a Shoreline Cleanup

Adopt-a-Beach Makes a Splash

On: May 22, 2024

In: Adopt-a-Beach, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

A photo of Adopt-a-Beach volunteers surrounds ABC World News Tonight anchor Linsey Davis.

Adopt-a-Beach made a big splash in the media this spring, raising awareness about plastic pollution and solutions. And 20 years’ worth of Adopt-a-Beach volunteers were part of it.

“One of the things I love about Adopt-a-Beach is how long our volunteers’ work lasts,” said Olivia Reda, Volunteer Engagement Manager and author of the new report Adopt-a-Beach: 20 Years of Great Lakes Litter Data.

“On the days of their cleanups, volunteers keep plastic and other trash out of the Great Lakes. People who see the cleanups are often inspired to do cleanups of their own weeks or months later. And the litter data our volunteers collect becomes part of a 20-plus year dataset that’s helping communities find solutions to plastic pollution.”

Here are some of this spring’s Adopt-a-Beach stories from across the region:

Most garbage left at beaches is plastic waste: report – WBBM, CBS Chicago, 4/11/2024
Report: Great Lakes beaches, including Presque Isle, suffering from plastic pollution – Erie Times-News, 4/24/24
Earth Day volunteers help clean up the planet – ABC World News Tonight, 4/21/24
Plastic pollution widespread across Great Lakes beaches, cleanup group finds – Detroit News, 4/11/24
What happens to balloons that are released outside? – WCCO News, CBS Minnesota, 4/28/24
Report: Plastics make up majority of litter in Great Lakes – Wisconsin Public Radio, 4/11/24
New study: Great Lakes beaches are littered with plastic trash – Bridge Michigan, 4/11/24
Earth Day Celebration held at Weko Beach – Harbor Country News, 4/24/24
Great Lakes Beaches Might Look Clean, But They’re Littered With Tiny Plastics, New Report Says – WTTW, PBS Chicago, 4/11/2024

“Thanks again to everyone who volunteers with Adopt-a-Beach,” said Reda. “I am so grateful for each and every action you’ve taken to help protect the Great Lakes!”

A special thanks to this year’s top Adopt-a-Beach sponsors: HSBC, Meijer, and Unilever.

Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution

Over 200,000 volunteers have participated in Great Lakes beach cleanups through our Adopt-a-Beach program. 86% of the litter they found is made either partially or fully of plastic.

The post Adopt-a-Beach Makes a Splash appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/05/adopt-a-beach-makes-a-splash/

Read all the messages to our volunteers.

“Thank you for helping our Great Lakes shine!”

On: April 22, 2024

In: Adopt-a-Beach, Other topics

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers and Alliance Ambassadors do so much for the Great Lakes! They organize beach cleanups. They spread the word about how people can protect the lakes. They build community around all five Great Lakes in eight Great Lakes states.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, we asked folks to send our volunteers a few words of appreciation. People across the region showed Great Lakes volunteers their love. Here are just some of the things they said:

“Your work and passion for the Lakes is so appreciated by all those who use and love our lakes! Your work is noticed and appreciated! Thank you!”
Anne S, Minnesota

“Thank you for giving of your time to care for this most amazing planet. Your service and care is most appreciated and a gift to us all.”
Jonathan H, Illinois

“THANK YOU!! To all of the Team Leaders, Adopt-a-Beach Volunteers and Alliance Ambassadors who help to keep the beaches clean. You all are the unsung heroes helping to protect the Great Lakes.”
Annette R, Ohio

“From Buffalo, NY, a Great (Lakes) Big Thank You!!”
Jennifer F, New York

“Thank you for your care of creation.”
Carole H, Ohio

“To everyone making a difference by volunteering, THANK YOU! The Great Lakes are a global treasure, and the work you do to improve and protect them while individually small, collectively makes a better planet earth.”
Jim Z, Wisconsin

“Thank you for your valuable time in helping us keep our beaches clean!”
John L, Pennsylvania

“I work at the Alliance, and I know you are the heart of our work! Thank you so much for the time and energy you devote to protecting the Great Lakes. Your work makes a difference every day. I’m grateful to you for your work and look forward to the progress we will make together over the next year.”
Molly F, Illinois

“Thank you for your time & energy to help keep the Great Lakes great. Grateful for you & thank you.”
Anita S, Michigan

“I grew up on Lake Erie, and have lived on Lake Ontario for my adult life. We go frequently to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Being able to live in this blessed triangle of Ontario is one of the best things in my life. This is why I am writing to thank all the volunteers who look after the lakes and their shores, whether through beach cleanups, or other means. You keep this beloved area safe, and allow it to survive into our challenging and uncertain future, as a refuge and a home for people and creatures of all kinds. Many many thanks from me and my family, and dear friends who are all Great Lakers.”
Mary E, Ontario

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the Adopt-a-Beach volunteers and Alliance Ambassadors working to protect our Great Lakes!

Become a Great Lakes Volunteer

Volunteers build community around all five Great Lakes in eight Great Lakes states. Learn how to join them!

Volunteer with Adopt-a-Beach Become an Alliance Ambassador

The post “Thank you for helping our Great Lakes shine!” appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/04/thank-you-for-helping-our-great-lakes-shine/

Download the full report – Adopt-a-Beach: 20 Years of Great Lakes Litter Data, A Story of Plastic Pollution Told Through Citizen Science

New Report: Vast Majority of Great Lakes Litter is Plastic

On: April 11, 2024

In: Adopt-a-Beach, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Litter Material: 2003-2023. Plastic: 86%. Other: 14%.

CHICAGO, IL (April 11, 2024) – Eighty six percent of litter collected on Great Lakes beaches is composed either partially or fully of plastic, according to a new report released by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. The report is based on 20 years of data collected from more than 14,000 Adopt-a-Beach cleanups on all five Great Lakes. The new analysis details the most common types of plastic items found on Great Lakes shorelines and outlines potential solutions to reduce plastic pollution. In the environment, plastics never go away. Instead, they break down into toxic microplastic particles that make their way into the Great Lakes, a source of drinking water for 40 million people.

Plastic pollution threatens human health & the environment

“Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes is a threat to both human health and the environment,” said Olivia Reda, the author of the report and the Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “The volume of plastic found on our shorelines demonstrates the urgent need to pass federal, state, and local laws that reduce plastic pollution getting into the lakes. While our dedicated volunteers are cleaning up literally tons of litter each year, more of this plastic litter enters our waters, where it breaks down into tiny particles that are found in our drinking water.”

Litter type: 2014-2023. Tiny trash: 40%. Food related: 27%. Smoking related: 22%. Other: 11%.

The data in the report, Adopt-a-Beach: 20 Years of Great Lakes Litter Data, reveals alarming and consistent patterns. Most of the litter is plastic, and many are single-use items – used once and left behind – which contain plastic. Volunteers categorize each piece of litter into a type, such as cigarette butts, plastic beverage bottles, or “tiny trash” including plastic pieces, foam pieces, and glass pieces measuring 2.5 cm or less. For the last 10 years, the top litter items collected are tiny plastic pieces, followed by cigarette butts, tiny foam pieces, plastic bottle caps, and food wrappers. Forty percent of all litter is in the “tiny trash” category.

Solutions require action beyond individual behavior change

While it’s important for individuals to reduce their plastic use, the report notes that substantially reducing plastic pollution will require action from businesses, governments, and manufacturers. The Alliance for the Great Lakes is calling for implementing Extended Producer Responsibility policies — holding producers responsible across the life cycle of their products and packaging from design and materials to end-of-life management. Such policies have been in place for years in Europe and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. More recently California, Colorado, Maine, and Oregon have passed versions of these common-sense solutions, which are now being considered across the Great Lakes basin.

Shorter-term solutions include reducing or eliminating the most problematic plastics like single-use bags and foam, deploying new technologies such as microfilters in washing machines to remove plastic microfibers before they enter our water systems, stopping the spills of industrial plastic pellets in the Great Lakes, and increasing access to water refilling stations as well as reuse and refill packaging. These types of policy solutions are moving forward in several Great Lakes states.

The power of citizen science

Since launching in 1991, the Alliance’s Adopt-a-Beach cleanups have evolved into the most extensive volunteer program ever to collect data on Great Lakes beach litter. Volunteers receive training and resources to host year-round cleanups in communities in all eight Great Lakes states. Since the start of the program, over 200,000 volunteers have participated in cleanups, removing over 9,700,000 individual pieces and over 535,000 pounds of litter from the shoreline. In 2003, Adopt-a-Beach launched an online database, which is now the largest litter dataset exclusively for the Great Lakes. The data is available publicly and has been used by educators, community advocates, policy makers, and academic researchers.

“This dataset demonstrates the power of citizen science, when members of the public come together to collect datasets far larger than any single researcher could build,” said Reda. “We are so thankful to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and supporters who participated in Adopt-a-Beach cleanups over the years. They are environmental heroes committed to reducing litter in their communities and are collecting one-of-a-kind data that will continue shining a light on plastic pollution.”

Report cover, Adopt-a-Beach: 20 Years of Great Lakes Litter Data.

Read the Report

Download the Executive Summary

If you would like to join the efforts, sign up for an Adopt-a-Beach cleanup. Learn more about plastic pollution here.

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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, dcarr@greatlakes.org

Join the Fight Against Plastic Pollution

Over 200,000 volunteers have participated in Great Lakes beach cleanups through our Adopt-a-Beach program. 86% of the litter they found is made either partially or fully of plastic.

Read About Plastic Pollution & Solutions Host or Join a Shoreline Cleanup

The post New Report: Vast Majority of Great Lakes Litter is Plastic appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2024/04/new-report-vast-majority-of-great-lakes-litter-is-plastic/

Adopt-a-Beach Launches 20th Year of Data Collection

On: June 26, 2023

In: Adopt-a-Beach

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers launched the 2023 Adopt-a-Beach season with hundreds of cleanups on Great Lakes beaches, harbors, bluffs, and trails. By June 26, volunteers had removed more than 191,000 pieces of litter from shorelines around the region.

“It’s so much fun to see the sense of community our volunteers create,” said Olivia Reda, the Alliance’s Volunteer Engagement Manager. “Everyone is working together to clean up their shoreline. Scouting groups, businesses, families, yacht clubs – it’s exciting to see so many different types of people get involved.”

And Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are working with a community that’s larger than their local cleanup, said Reda. “They’re working with volunteers all over the Great Lakes to collect important data about plastic pollution.”

20 years of Great Lakes litter data

This year marks 20 years of data collection by Adopt-a- Beach volunteers. While scientists have been studying plastic pollution in the ocean for decades, there is much less research about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Adopt-a-Beach data collection is one way our Great Lakes community is beginning to fill that gap.

Volunteers use a datasheet at every cleanup to tally each item they pick up. The event’s team leader tallies up all the data collected at the event and enters it into our online system.

“It might feel a little silly to count up every cigarette butt, bottle cap, or piece of tiny trash when you’re on the beach,” Reda said. “But the data from each cleanup tells a story. And when you put everyone’s data together in one place, the power of all that information is amazing!”

A hand recording litter counts on a form.

Spring data stories: Green Bay, Cleveland, Chicago

One of this spring’s data stories comes from Green Bay, Wisconsin. A group of Adopt-a-Beach volunteers led by Green Bay Sail & Paddle removed 677 pounds of trash from the South Bay Marina in just a few hours.

“It’s a bit unusual to collect so many pounds of trash at one cleanup,” said Reda, “but spring is a time when the heavy stuff shows up in the data, the stuff that washed ashore over the winter.” The litter this team collected included plastic, broken glass, rusted metal, and wooden planks. “This group really made their shoreline safer!”

Another spring data story comes from Cleveland, Ohio, where Adopt-a-Beach volunteers led by Drink Local, Drink Tap set an ambitious goal: remove 1 million pieces of trash from Lake Erie shorelines. The organization has already collected more than 500,000 pieces of litter from cleanups dating back to 2010. The vast majority of those items are plastic.

“Drink Local, Drink Tap is an amazing organization,” said Reda. “Their dedication to their community and Edgewater Beach is so inspiring! And the fact that they see so much plastic reflects the trend we see around the region. Roughly 85% of the litter found at Adopt-a-Beach cleanups is entirely or partially made of plastic.”

Because so much of the litter they collect is made from plastic, some Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are taking their cleanup efforts back to the source. In Chicago, Illinois, Organizing for Plastic Alternatives is working to reduce plastic use as the best way to keep plastic out the Great Lakes.

“Researchers say that more than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution end up in the Great Lakes each year. And the best way to keep plastic out of the lakes is to reduce how much plastic we use in the first place,” Reda said. “It’s so great that Adopt-a-Beach Team Leader and Alliance Ambassador Eileen Ryan – and the Organizing for Plastic Alternatives team – are raising awareness about problems associated with single-use plastic in their community!”

Join a Beach Cleanup

Adopt-a-Beach is a fun, free, easy way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post Adopt-a-Beach Launches 20th Year of Data Collection appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/06/adopt-a-beach-launches-20th-year-of-data-collection/

Adopt-a-Beach Launches 20th Year of Data Collection

On: June 26, 2023

In: Adopt-a-Beach

20 years of Great Lakes litter data

Volunteers use a datasheet at every cleanup to tally each item they pick up. The event’s team leader tallies up all the data collected at the event and enters it into our online system.

Spring data stories: Green Bay, Cleveland, Chicago

Join a Beach Cleanup

Adopt-a-Beach is a fun, free, easy way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post Adopt-a-Beach Launches 20th Year of Data Collection appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/06/adopt-a-beach-launches-20th-year-of-data-collection/

20 Years of Adopt-a-Beach Data Collection: What Have We Learned?

On: April 21, 2023

In: Adopt-a-Beach, Plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are on the front lines of keeping litter off our beaches and out of the Great Lakes. But did you know that these volunteers are also citizen scientists?

This year marks twenty years of data collection by Adopt-a- Beach volunteers. The Alliance for the Great Lakes created its online Great Lakes litter database in 2003 and added data collection to the Adopt-a-Beach program.

Filling a Data Gap, Identifying Troubling Trends

While scientists have been studying plastic pollution in the ocean for decades, there is much less research about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Adopt-a-Beach data collection is one way our Great Lakes community is beginning to fill that gap. The litter data collected by Adopt-a-Beach volunteers spans beaches and shorelines across all five Great Lakes. No lab or individual researcher could collect this extensive data set on their own. Volunteers have steadily created this dataset with each cleanup over the past twenty years.

Volunteers use a datasheet at every beach cleanup to tally each item they pick up. The event’s team leader tallies up all the data collected at the event and enters it into our online system. Counting each cigarette butt, bottle cap, or piece of tiny trash can sometimes feel a bit silly on the beach. But the power of all that information in one place is impressive, and it is showing us some troubling trends.

So, what do the data tell us? It’s not a pretty picture. Roughly 85% of the litter picked up at cleanups is made entirely or partially of plastic. Most of the litter picked up by volunteers falls into the category of “tiny trash,” which are pieces 5 millimeters or less. These are pieces of larger items that have broken down over time. Food-related trash, such as plastic bottles, plastic cutlery, and takeout containers, is about 25% of the litter picked up by volunteers.

A Clear and Present Danger

A researcher examines a test tube containing microplastics.

While beach litter is a serious concern, it is just the most visible part of a bigger problem. Sun, waves, and other environmental factors break down plastic left on the beach or other places into smaller and smaller pieces. And microfibers from our clothes or plastic packaging from detergent packs wash down the drain into our waterways. These microplastics are often invisible but are dangerous to wildlife, which mistake them for food.

Plastic has been found in Great Lakes fish dating back to the 1950s. That means, for nearly seven decades, there have been microplastics in the lakes, which are a drinking water source for about 40 million people. Today, researchers from the Rochester Institute of Technology estimate that over 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes annually. And University of Toronto researchers calculated that the amount of microplastics in the surface water of the Great Lakes is estimated at 1.2 million particles/km2. This is higher than plastic concentrations in the widely publicized Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Microplastics have been found in drinking water, bottled water, and beer. And it’s estimated that we each ingest about a credit card-sized amount of plastic each week. Much remains to be learned about the impacts of plastic on human health, but the early picture is concerning.

Plastic Producers Must Take Responsibility

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers do a great job keeping plastic out of our lakes and educating their communities about the plastic pollution problem. But beach cleanups alone can’t solve the magnitude of the Great Lakes’ plastic problem. A more systemic solution is required.

Currently, most efforts to stop plastic pollution put the responsibility on the last person who uses the plastic, such as recycling. But expecting end users to bear the burden of managing plastic pollution isn’t effective. For instance, only a fraction of plastic produced each year can be recycled, leaving the remainder to end up in landfills or as litter that lands in our waterways. This leaves the disposal burden – and significant costs – on individuals, small business owners, and local governments.

The alternative is to require plastic producers to be responsible for their products through their lifecycle, called extended producer responsibility. The concept is not new. Many European countries have such laws. And California recently passed legislation bringing the concept to the United States. These laws reduce or eliminate the most problematic plastics like styrofoam, require plastic manufacturers to pay for disposal, or eventually change their practices to produce less plastic in the first place.

For the first time, we have included plastic pollution as a top issue in our federal Great Lakes policy agenda. We are urging Congress to be a leader in curbing plastic pollution and pass legislation that:

Makes plastic producers responsible for reduction of waste
Reduces the federal government’s use of single-use plastics
Funds additional research on the public health impact of plastics

How You Can Help

Solving our Great Lakes plastic pollution problem will take all of us. Here are several ways you can help:

Refuse single-use plastics.

The best way to prevent plastic pollution from getting into the lakes is to stop using it in the first place.

Your voice makes a difference.

Visit our action center to send a letter to your members of Congress, urging them to adopt extended producer responsibility legislation.

Join a beach cleanup.

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are on the frontlines of keeping plastic pollution out of the Great Lakes. It’s fun, easy, and an excellent way for your family, community group, or business to give back to the lakes. Learn how you can join a cleanup or host one of your own.

Join Us for Adopt-a-Beach

It’s a fun, free, easy way to give back to your community and keep plastic pollution out of our Great Lakes.

The post 20 Years of Adopt-a-Beach Data Collection: What Have We Learned? appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2023/04/20-years-of-adopt-a-beach-data-collection-what-have-we-learned/

Check out past years’ data summaries here.

Adopt-a-Beach 2022: Year-End Results

On: November 14, 2022

In: Adopt-a-Beach

Every November, the weather turns cooler, the rush of beach cleanups begins to slow, and we take the time to compile our annual Adopt-a-Beach results.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes manages the largest coastal Great Lakes litter database of its kind. But we are simply the stewards. The database exists because of the decades of contributions by thousands of community scientists across the region who volunteer each year with the Adopt-a-Beach program.

2022 saw a surge of new and returning volunteers. It was exciting to welcome back many experienced Team Leaders and volunteers, as well as connect with so many new ones. Each individual volunteer who showed up, each individual piece of litter dutifully tallied on a data sheet, each individual gathering of Great Lakes stewards is captured in these numbers.

2022 Adopt-a-Beach results

Beach cleanups in all 8 Great Lakes states.

These numbers are also part of an important milestone that volunteers helped Adopt-a-Beach reach this year. Volunteers have collected more than half a million pounds of litter since the Alliance began tracking data in 2003! That’s half a million pounds of litter removed from our beach, our parks, and the source of our drinking water.

Data tells a story about plastic pollution

The data tells a story about volunteer participation and outreach efforts, and also about long-term trends in Great Lakes plastic pollution. Year after year, more than 80% of litter collected is plastic. 2022 was no exception.

Litter material. Plastic: 81%. Other materials: 19%.

Litter type. Tiny trash: 44%. Food-related: 25%. Smoking-related: 20%. Other: 11%.

The high plastic percentage is a signal that more systemic changes are needed – in addition to and beyond individual behavior change. We look forward to continuing to use the Adopt-a-Beach data to advocate for systemic solutions to plastic pollution.

Love, concern, & initiative

As Adopt-a-Beach staff visited volunteers across the region this season, a unifying theme that revealed itself was the deep pride and care Great Lakes residents have for our lakes. We saw and heard love, concern, and initiative everywhere we went.

Whether you participated in the Adopt-a-Beach program, are reading and learning more about Great Lakes issues, or have contacted elected officials about an issue that is important to you, thank you for taking action!

Host an Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup

It’s never too soon to schedule your next beach cleanup. Schedule your 2023 cleanups today.

Schedule Your Cleanup

The post Adopt-a-Beach 2022: Year-End Results appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

https://greatlakes.org/2022/11/adopt-a-beach-2022-year-end-results/

Surfrider Foundation of Northern Michigan

Great Lakes Surfing & the Mission of the Surfrider Foundation

On: November 1, 2022

In: Adopt-a-Beach

Drew Youngedyke; a native Michigander with a deep love for the lakes and a volunteer with the Northern Michigan Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. In his day job, Drew is Director of Conservation Partnerships for the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center.

Resources

Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project

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The post Great Lakes Surfing & the Mission of the Surfrider Foundation appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.