Volunteers Sought For Harwich Coastsweep

HARWICH – Harwich Conservation Trust and the town’s conservation and natural resources department are teaming up for a cleanup of Harwich beaches Oct. 24 and are seeking residents to volunteer for the project.

The Harwich effort is part of Coastsweep, an annual statewide beach cleanup organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). It’s the state’s contribution to the International Coastal Cleanup, coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy, where volunteers all over the world collect marine debris (trash, fishing line and any other human-made items). 

All beach debris is categorized and tallied to help researchers and policymakers better understand the sources of global marine debris and develop solutions for prevention.

On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 a.m., volunteers will meet at the Saquatucket Harbor parking lot (715 Route 28, Harwich Port) to pick up bags, trash pickers and gloves. Then they'll head out to clean up various Harwich beaches, including saltwater and freshwater strands. To sign up for this free event and choose a beach, go to harwichconservationtrust.org.

After completing the cleanup, volunteers will bring their trash back to Saquatucket Harbor around and be rewarded with Halloween treats. To add more seasonal fun, volunteers are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to the cleanup: the best costume will win a prize!

Trash on the beach is certainly unsightly, but it also poses threats to wildlife and humans. Animals can become entangled or choke on debris. Tiny pieces of plastic can enter the water column and food chain. Folks can step on sharp objects on the beach, and larger pieces of debris can jam boat propellers.

In 2025, Coastsweep volunteers removed nearly 47,500 pounds of trash from more than 200 locations. Cigarette butts were the most common item found, and more than 10,000 were plucked from beach areas. Thousands of glass pieces and plastic items were also removed, including foam cups and plates, food wrappers, bottles and caps, straws, and plastic lids.

Over the last 39 years, dedicated volunteers have removed more than 1.4 million pounds of marine debris from Massachusetts shores.

Harwich Conservation Trust Director of Land Stewardship Connor O'Brien said it's possible that September's long-duration nor'easter may have landed more marine debris on area beaches than usual for this time of year. 

"We might find some fishing gear that has blown in," he said. "The Office of Coastal Zone Management is particularly interested in that. But we report everything we find to them." By recording all items that are found, organizations are building a database that can help shape global conservation policies.

To help reduce marine debris, residents can take the following steps: