Top 10 items found during 2012 coastal cleanup
Top 10 items found during 2012 coastal cleanup
File - In this Aug. 11, 2009 file photo provided by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography shows Matt Durham, center, pulling in a large patch of sea garbage with the help of Miriam Goldstein, right, in the Pacific Ocean. Plastics discarded by people often end up in the ocean, creating coastal pollution that harms marine life and gathers out at sea in what's become known as the great Pacific garbage patch. Now, California state lawmakers have introduced a law that if passed would require makers of plastic bottles, bags and packaging to replace plastics with more environmentally friendly alternatives. (AP Photo/ Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Mario Aguilera, File)
The Ocean Conservancy, a Washington D.C.-based environmental organization, released its 2012 list of trash collected during its International Coastal Cleanup. More than 10 million pounds of debris was collected globally, with more than 769,000 pounds collected in California alone. The most common items found during the cleanup:
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters: 2,117,931
2. Food Wrappers/Containers: 1,140,222
3. Plastic Beverage Bottles: 1,065,171
4. Plastic Bags: 1,019,902
5. Caps/Lids: 958,893
6. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons: 692,767
7. Straws/Stirrers: 611,048
8. Glass Beverage Bottles: 521,730
9. Beverage Cans: 339,875
10. Paper Bags: 298,332
___
Source: Ocean Conservancy
