Friday November 3, 2023
Patch —
A report released on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, revealed just how much garbage can build up within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
The shoreline, which spans 267 miles, saw 37,000 volunteers collect over one million pieces of trash over five years, ranging from cigarette butts to household appliances.
The report also outlines how much of the garbage was tied directly to smoking and food waste.
From 2017 to 2021, plastic fragments accounted for more than 25% of the trash while cigarette butts represented 23% of what was found. Add in wrappers, and those three main contributors created 59% of all the debris collected, according to NOAA.