2024 Marine Debris Report Finds Plastic is the Biggest Culprit

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In celebration of Earth Month, Surfrider Foundation San Diego County and San Diego Coastkeeper unveil their 2024 Marine Debris Report, available in English and Spanish. In 2024, Coastkeeper and Surfrider rallied an inspiring 11,558 volunteers who removed 22,168 pounds of trash from our precious shores and inland waterways. To commemorate this achievement, Coastkeeper and Surfrider invite the public to celebrate the program’s success by participating in a joint beach and river cleanup on May 10th.

Since 2007, our collaborative beach cleanup program has removed over 169,361 pounds of debris from our local beaches and waterways. In 2024, we collected 404,405 individual pieces of trash across 243 different cleanup events. Among the most common culprits were plastic fragments, cigarette butts, and EPS foam (a.k.a. Styrofoam) fragments. Cigarette butts had long been the top item found along San Diego's coastlines and inland waterways. However, for the second year in a row, plastic fragments were the most common debris recovered during cleanups, representing 25% of all pieces of trash collected in 2024.

This highlights the need for additional policy work targeting unnecessary single-use plastics that commonly end up on our beaches and in the ocean, something San Diego Coastkeeper and Surfrider Foundation San Diego County are diligently working towards. A comprehensive breakdown of our cleanups, including detailed information and statistics, is in the 2024 Marine Debris Report.

Coastkeeper and Surfrider will host a joint cleanup event at Ocean Beach Dog Beach from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in honor of River Day and the release of the 2024 data report. Additionally, Coastkeeper and Surfrider host weekly cleanups from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday mornings and volunteers are always welcome to join. For additional cleanup dates and more information, visit sdcoastkeeper.org/events or sandiego.surfrider.org/events.

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About San Diego Coastkeeper
Founded in 1995, San Diego Coastkeeper safeguards our region’s inland and coastal waters through a strategic blend of community science, education, grassroots outreach, policy advocacy, and legal enforcement of environmental laws. This approach allows us to effectively tackle the most pressing water issues facing our region. For more information, visit sdcoastkeeper.org.

About Surfrider Foundation San Diego County
The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s ocean, waves, and beaches for all people, through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 500,000 supporters, activists, and members, with more than 160 chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 800 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfriderSD.org.

Marie Diaz
San Diego Coastkeeper
+1 619-609-0860
marie@sdcoastkeeper.org
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