AllegiantSEA Field Report: Northeast Beach Pollution Survey & Cleanup

AllegiantSEA Field Report: Northeast Beach Pollution Survey & Cleanup

Everyone has to start somewhere, and we’re excited to share the latest updates on AllegiantSEA’s efforts. Recently, we conducted a beach survey and cleanup along the Northeast coast, assessing pollution types and quantities while removing debris from the environment. Here’s what we found:

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach showed a variety of pollutants in relatively low quantities. We collected plastics, Styrofoam, microplastics, and cigarette butts, totaling just under 2 pounds of waste.

Satellite Beach

Moving south to Satellite Beach, we observed an increase in pollution levels. Similar to Cocoa Beach, we found plastics, microplastics, marine debris, and cigarette butts, with a total collected waste of approximately 4 pounds.

Block House Beach

At Block House Beach, a smaller and less frequented location, we expected to see an accumulation of pollution due to its position further south. Here, we gathered around 4 pounds of waste, including single-use plastics, cigarette butts, Styrofoam, and aluminum cans.

Conclusion

Our findings provide a preliminary snapshot of pollution in these areas. These beaches were selected due to their proximity to Indian River Lagoon, a region known for its pollution and impact on local wildlife. Across all surveyed locations, pollution levels remained below 4 pounds per beach.

Given these results, we believe our efforts may be better directed toward identifying and targeting locations with significantly higher pollution levels for future large-scale cleanups. That said, we will continue to monitor these sites and welcome any recommendations or observations from the community.

Note: This was not intended to be a large-scale beach cleanup, just preliminary observations.

If you have insights, suggestions, or locations in need of attention, please feel free to reach out. Together, we can make a lasting impact!