A dry 2024 delayed plastic trash making its way to R.I. beaches • Rhode Island Current

Did you lose your AirPods at this beach this summer?

They may not be gone after all. A single pair of AirPods was among the 21,662 pounds of trash that volunteers collected along Rhode Island’s shoreline this fall, according to Save the Bay’s 2024 International Coastal Cleanup report published Friday.

Far more prolific — and concerning to environmental advocates — were the thousands of cigarette butts, empty bottles, straws and disposable food containers collected and categorized as part of the annual cleanup effort. 

Cigarette butts were the top find — comprising more than one-fifth of the nearly 115,000 pieces of trash collected by 2,700 volunteers between September and November 2024. Plastic and foam pieces took the number two spot, followed by food wrappers, beverage containers, and a laundry list of other items, including a surprising number of shoes and slippers (260). In 2023, plastic beat out cigarettes for the No. 1 spot for the first time in the 35-year history of the Rhode Island event.

Less trash, including less plastic, doesn’t mean litterbugs have reformed their ways. Save the Bay chalked up the trimmed back trash piles to lack of rainfall in 2024.

“We know from experience the shocking number of small plastics that end up in the wrack line after major storm events, as rain washes debris from streets all over the watershed into storm drain systems and into the Bay,” July Lewis, volunteer and internship manager for Save The Bay, said in a statement. “Grates often catch larger items like bottles, while small plastic pieces slip right through. The dry weather during fall meant fewer bottle caps and tiny bits of plastic were washing up. Unfortunately, these plastic pieces still accumulate on land and will still wash into the Bay during the next rainstorm.”

That’s especially problematic because plastic never truly disappears; instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces known as “microplastics” which contaminate bodies of water and can harm the wildlife that live there.

“Despite efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste, its persistence highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives, robust waste management systems and community-wide action to protect the Bay’s delicate balance,” the report stated.

One perennial solution put forth by environmental advocates and lawmakers: a state bottle-deposit refund program, which could incentivize recycling of plastic and glass bottles and cans that otherwise end up in state waterways and roads. An 18-member legislative panel has been studying the issue since June 2023, but struggled to find middle ground between environmental and business groups.

“The best way to reduce the amount of single-use plastic containers that are polluting our Bay and local ecosystem is for Rhode Island to adopt a recycling refund system for beverage containers, also known as a ’bottle bill’,” Jed Thorp, Save the Bay’s advocate director, said in a statement. “Recycling refund systems have been proven – with decades of data – to reduce litter and increase recycling rates.”

Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget did not offer any funding for a bottle bill program, though he included $100,000 for First Lady Susan McKee’s signature Litter Free Rhody initiative.