Volunteers Collect 1405 Pounds Of Trash Collected Along Wave Ave.

Clean Ocean Access performed their 57th coastal cleanup around the moat area of Big Pond along Wave Avenue in Middletown last week, collecting 1405 pounds of trash. 

"This vegetation was on its way to covering up most of this trash, fortunately we had a chance to fix the problem and make sure none of the trash enters into the ocean," said COA founder Dave McLaughlin.

Among the items collected were:

• 300 pounds of construction fiberglass material
• 245 pounds of plastic bottles, plastic bags, salt and pepper shakers, hundreds of cigarette butts, food wrappings and random small pieces of plastic.
• 2.5 inch diameter sewage disk.
• 860 pounds of trash were removed from the moat which included a traffic cone, 20 foot sprinkler system piping, 4 folding chairs, 2 deck tables, 1 bike, 5 tires, assorted metal poles, a fertilizer machine, 3 plastic chairs, 1 lobster pot, wire mesh fencing material, plastic crates, house siding material and a large amount of wooden of various shapes and sizes with nails in a fair amount of it.

"Clean Ocean Access believes keeping our coastlines clean as well as surrounding area is the first step of working towards improving ocean health. These events allow for people to spend time outside, together, connecting with nature and understanding the impact that we are having on the environment. We can learn from it and make better decisions in an easier manner when people connect with nature," said McLaughlin.