The Surfrider Foundation is pleased to present our sixth annual Beach Cleanup Report, highlighting beach cleanup data, regional case studies, and current science of 2024. As we reflect on the impacts of the national Beach Cleanup program, it’s amazing to hear the heartfelt stories of how our network grew together and increased our power in the fight against plastic pollution.
Program Overview
Surfrider’s Plastic Pollution Initiative uses a multi-pronged approach and our Beach Cleanup program is the first step in reducing the amount of plastic ending up in our waterways, on our beaches, and ultimately in the ocean. Beach cleanups play a critical role in addressing the plastic pollution crisis. They allow us to learn about the types of plastic that are found on our beaches and provide an entry point for people to learn more about the impacts of single-use plastics on our environment. Our volunteer chapter network conducts local beach cleanups across the nation and removes hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables each year. By collecting data during cleanups, we compile useful information about top littered items and use those findings to influence policies at local, state, and national levels.
Top Ten Items Collected:
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181,109 Cigarette Butts |
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114,367 Small Plastic Fragments |
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71,115 Large Plastic Fragments |
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58,674 Small Foam Fragments |
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47,890 Plastic Food Wrappers |
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38,479 Large Foam Fragments |
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35,944 Plastic Bottle Caps/Rings |
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33,263 Glass Fragments |
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30,226 Paper/Wood Fragments |
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17,642 Plastic Straws |
For decades, network-led beach cleanups have been an integral part of the Surfrider Foundation’s programs. They’re an important way to engage new volunteers and enable them to learn in a hands-on manner about the issues affecting our ocean and coasts — often inspiring volunteers to become grassroots activists in their local chapters who work towards making positive, pragmatic changes within their communities.
Last year’s data shows that we’re making even bigger impacts than ever before. In 2024, Surfrider recorded the largest amount of trash ever picked up during cleanups, totalling over 365,000 pounds of trash. That is 65,000 pounds more than our previous record! Not only did Surfrider chapters haul off an enormous amount of trash, they also logged the most number of individual trash items ever, with 870,000 itemized pieces of trash recorded into our national cleanup database, most of it being plastic. This is helping to give us an incredibly clear picture of what exactly is polluting our beaches and coasts, which we can use to fight for stronger plastic reduction legislation. As Surfrider’s incredible network of coastal advocates continues to grow, we are seeing bigger impacts and more impressive results in protecting our ocean.
Regional Impact
The 2024 Beach Cleanup Report not only highlights Surfrider’s cleanup efforts but also demonstrates how plastic pollution impacts various coastal regions and reveals the items most often collected. As Surfrider Chapters and Student Clubs continue to host cleanups and remove hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from our beaches and coasts each year, we couldn’t be more thankful for the dedication to keeping our ocean clean and free from plastic-pollution.
Number of Cleanups by Region
Science and Policy
The report also explores the excess of hard-to-avoid plastic packaging and the need for widespread adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility policies to hold polluters accountable for the lifecycle of the products they’re creating. While we’re making significant strides to reduce our consumer culture’s dependency on single-use plastics and to stop plastic pollution at its source, there is another large source of plastic pollution that can be more challenging to address — plastic packaging. Packaging is the third largest group of trash found during Surfrider’s beach cleanups, making up over 16% of all items collected in 2024.
Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, is the idea that manufacturers and brands are held responsible for the cost of recycling, waste disposal, and cleanup of their packaging, thereby removing the burden from the public and municipal governments. It is time to hold producers accountable through EPR for packaging and shift this burden back on the producers of these products. As we continue to work towards a single-use plastic-free future, EPR is proving to be a powerful policy tool in achieving that vision.
How Extended Producer Responsibility Works
The Better Beach Alliance
Since 2016, REEF has been the presenting sponsor of Surfrider’s national Beach Cleanup Program through the Better Beach Alliance. This alliance encourages all groups — individuals, organizations, and companies — to participate in our shared goal of ending plastic pollution. In 2024, we introduced a new engagement tool to the Better Beach Alliance with Surfrider’s annual Found Objects Art Contest. This grassroots, user-generated content campaign leads with a positive message to inspire and ultimately build an engaged community dedicated to reducing plastic pollution. With REEF’s amplification, we tripled the number of engaged participants as compared to previous years. “REEF is proud to continually evolve our relationship with the Surfrider Foundation, which has been integral in our striving to improve who we are and how we act as a brand,” says Shea Perkins, Senior Marketing Manager at REEF.
Photo Credit: Ridge Benben
The complete 2024 Beach Cleanup Report is available to view here. We are incredibly grateful to have a dedicated network of volunteers and sponsors who share our love for the ocean. We encourage you to join us by connecting with your local Surfrider chapter to participate in this beach cleanup program that provides crucial data to implement widespread changes to stop plastic pollution at the source. When we all work together to fight single-use plastics, we can keep our ocean and beaches clean from plastic pollution today and for future generations.