The Maine Coastal Program, a division of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, has opened registration for the annual Coastal Cleanup.
Coastal Cleanup is a volunteer-driven initiative designed to clean debris from Maine's coastal shorelines and coastal communities.
As part of the International Coastal Cleanup effort, the Maine Coastal Cleanup will take place during the month of September. Anyone wishing to coordinate a local cleanup can register online by completing a short form on the DMR website and selecting one of nearly 150 sites along the coast at maine.gov/dmr/programs.
Once a registration has been received, DMR will remove the chosen location from the sites available on the online registration form. If a coordinator indicates on the registration form that they are looking for volunteers, DMR will list that site along with contact information so that interested volunteers can contact the coordinator.
Before each cleanup date, a packet with resources for collecting and recording trash will be sent to the coordinators.
โWe encourage coordinators to have their volunteers bring gloves, hats, sunscreen and water to stay hydrated,โ said Theresa Torrent, outreach and administration specialist for the Maine Coastal Program.
The International Coastal Cleanup was established over 35 years ago to address the problem of litter in the oceans and on shorelines. The non-profit organization Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates the global initiative, maintains a database of all the items that volunteers from around the world register while collecting garbage.
In 2022, 533 Maine volunteers removed 2,580 pounds of trash from 56 miles of the state's coastline.
โEach year, the Maine Coastal Cleanup provides an opportunity for people to join a global initiative aimed at improving the health of our oceans and supporting Maine's vital coastal communities,โ said Torrent. "As the state coordinator of the International Coastal Cleanup for more than 30 years, the Maine Coastal Program remains committed to supporting and facilitating efforts like this to keep our coastlines and waterways clean."
Anyone interested in coordinating a coastal cleanup can register online at the DMR website.
For more information on Maine's coastal cleanup program, email Theresa.torrent@maine.gov.
