Coastsweep Volunteers Clear Debris From Harwich Beaches

HARWICH – The nip bottles and cigarette butts thought they could settle in for a long winter's nap along the beaches of Harwich. 

But they didn't count on the efforts of eagle-eyed volunteers who joined Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) and the town's conservation and natural resources departments for a Coastsweep cleanup event Oct. 24.

Wielding trash pickers like symphony conductors, the volunteers removed the offending detritus and were rewarded with the food of the gods, which some call Halloween candy.

Scenic Saquatucket Harbor was headquarters for the event, where volunteers picked up bags and gloves, and trash talk ruled. 

"The goal is to get the community out to clean up our beaches," said Conservation Agent Amy Usowski. "And we also want to raise awareness about what kinds of trash are winding up on our beaches, and help people be a little more conscientious when they visit a beach."

Most folks don't intend to leave trash on the beach, but things can fall out of beach bags or boats, or blow out of truck beds. Keeping beaches clean is good for people and especially important for the health of wildlife, which can accidentally ingest harmful items or become entangled in them.

Usowski said that whenever she visits a beach, she brings a little bag to pick up trash as she goes along, a solid piece of advice. She then excused herself to join Harwich Town Administrator Jay McGrail and Assistant Town Administrator James Mulcahy on trash patrol around the fringes of the Saquatucket Harbor parking lot.

Coastsweep is an annual statewide beach cleanup organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). In 2025, COASTSWEEP volunteers removed nearly 47,500 pounds of trash from more than 200 locations in the state. 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. 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.

Volunteers removed 120 pounds of trash and recycling from Harwich beaches and other locations in town during the event. Back at Saquatucket Harbor, where the trash was sorted, the informal brain trust agreed that the oddest item was a plastic sword found in Bell's Neck Conservation Lands.

In the true spirit of recycling, the plastic sword was repurposed and will shine again as part of a Halloween costume.

Here's a deeper dive into what was removed: 646 cigarette butts, 104 food wrappers, 46 plastic bottle caps, 22 straws, 95 plastic bottles, 25 glass bottles, 88 aluminum cans, 71 plastic bags, 16 plastic cups/plates, 40 pieces of fishing line,17 pieces of construction debris, and 179 plastic pieces less than 3cm in size.

HCT is grateful for the efforts of all the volunteers and the town of Harwich, especially Amy Usowski and Meg Salmon from the conservation department and Stephanie Ridenour from the department of natural resources.

And the next time you're out exploring the beach, try to leave no traces behind, and consider removing trash you might encounter. It's a win for wildlife and people!