In Newport, volunteers are gathering on the city’s Cliff Walk to clean up the tourist attraction and the ocean access points near it. The event is organized by the Aquidneck Island-based nonprofit Clean Ocean Access.
Clean Ocean Access director Dave McLaughlin says the group has collected some 50 tons of trash during area beach cleanups over the last decade.
“The problem of marine debris is a moderate problem across the state of Rhode Island,” said McLaughlin. “There’s really three components to it. One is marine debris that comes in from the ocean, the second component is litter and the third piece is illegal dumping.”
The event coincides with the organization’s acquisition of new trash skimmers, machines which Clean Water Access director Dave McLaughlin says will help clean up local waters.
“They’re basically the size of a medium dumpster,” said McLaughlin. “At the bottom of the unit is a water pump that ejects water out of the unit, and that creates a current that sucks water in on the surface. So any floating debris that comes by the skimmer will be collected into the unit.”
McLaughlin says over the last decade, Clean Ocean Access has collected about 50 tons of trash during area beach cleanups.
Clean Ocean Access advocated for the banning of cigarettes on Aquidneck Island beaches. The group is now pushing for ban on plastic grocery bags.
