For the third consecutive year, Greenwich took part in the largest annual cleanup effort in the state, as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day, Sept. 19, which drew volunteers to collect trash at Great Captain Island joining Island caretakers Kevin and Ann Hadden.
“Each year, docks are damaged, debris is lost overboard and people litter. While a good deal of this pollution winds up out in the Sound, a remarkable amount also washes ashore,” said Environmental Affairs Director Patricia Sesto. “Great Captain Island is an important birding area that provides essential habitat for multiple bird species. Unfortunately, birds will attempt to use plastics of all kinds for nests and other wildlife ingests it,” she said.
“Volunteers were asked to go beyond picking up trash and to record each item collected on a standardized data sheet to identify ways to eliminate marine debris in the future. “Our data gets complied with all the other cleanups in the state. This information provides a good indication on what trash items are most commonly found during these cleanups,” said Sarah Coccaro, conservation resource manager. “A lot of things have changed due to the pandemic, but it”™s still important to continue the fight against marine debris,”she said.
