Every fall, volunteers across Virginia participate in stream, river and beach cleanups organized by Clean Virginia Waterways and its many partners. Volunteers not only remove the litter and debris they find, but they also record data on "Ocean Trash Data Forms" supplied by the Ocean Conservancy. NOTE: Over the years (especially in 2013), the Ocean Conservancy's Data Form included many changes. It is not entirely possible to directly compare data from 2013 (and later years) with the data from 2012 and earlier. Contact CVW if you need more details. |
 |
Top of the list EVERY year: Convenience food items (bottles, cans, food wrappers, straws, etc.) and smoking-related litter are annually found on Virginia's Top Ten List. These are the items most frequently found by volunteers during the International Coastal Cleanup in Virginia. Sometimes fishing related litter and balloons join the Top Ten. If we could eliminate the Top Ten items, then we would also eliminate the majority of the litter found in Virginia!
Students: Look at these Top Ten Lists from several years, and see if you can find trends in the data.
2017 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
Item |
Total Collected |
Percentage |
||||
1 |
Cigarette Butts |
70,160 |
19.01 |
|||
2 |
Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) |
33,545 |
9.09 |
|||
3 |
Beverage Bottles (Plastic) |
32,882 |
8.91 |
|||
4 |
Grocery Bags (Plastic) |
19,775 |
5.36 |
|||
5 |
Other Plastic Bags |
16,020 |
4.34 |
|||
6 |
Bottle Caps (Plastic) |
15,921 |
4.31 |
|||
7 |
Beverage Cans |
15,806 |
4.28 |
|||
8 |
Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
14,095 |
3.82 |
|||
9 |
Cups, Plates (Foam & Plastic) |
13,035 |
|
3.53 |
||
10 |
Take Out/Away Containers (Foam & Plastic) |
12,865 |
|
3.49 |
||
2016 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
| Item | Total Items | Total Percent | |
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 40,214 | 22.73 |
| 2 | Beverage Bottles (Plastic) | 16,531 | 9.34 |
| 3 | Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) | 16,180 | 9.15 |
| 4 | Beverage Cans | 8,258 | 4.67 |
| 5 | Grocery Bags (Plastic) | 8,231 | 4.65 |
| 6 | Bottle Caps (Plastic) | 7,774 | 4.39 |
| 7 | Beverage Bottles (Glass) | 6,013 | 3.4 |
| 8 | Take Out/Away Containers (plastic & foam) | 5,828 | 3.3 |
| 9 | Other Plastic Bags | 5,784 | 3.27 |
| 10 | Straws, Stirrers | 4,059 | 2.29 |
| Totals | 118,872 | 67.19 |
2015 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
| Item | Total Items | Total Percentage | |
| 1 | Cigarette Butts | 30,195 | 22.71% |
| 2 | Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) | 14,151 | 10.65% |
| 3 | Beverage Bottles (Glass) | 13,977 | 10.51% |
| 4 | Beverage Bottles (Plastic) | 13,330 | 10.03% |
| 5 | Beverage Cans | 7,954 | 5.98% |
| 6 | Grocery Bags (Plastic) | 7,836 | 5.89% |
| 7 | Other Plastic Bags | 7,548 | 5.68% |
| 8 | Bottle Caps (Plastic) | 5,641 | 4.24% |
| 9 | Straws, Stirrers | 3,840 | 2.89% |
| 10 | Other Plastic/Foam Packaging | 3,412 | 2.57% |
| Totals | 107,884 | 81.15% |
2014 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
Item |
Total Items |
Total Percentage |
Cigarette Butts |
47,548 |
33.46% |
Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) |
15,074 |
10.61% |
Beverage Bottles (Plastic) |
13,442 |
9.46% |
Beverage Cans |
8,697 |
6.12% |
Other Plastic Bags |
6,911 |
4.86% |
Grocery Bags (Plastic) |
6,566 |
4.62% |
Bottle Caps (Plastic) |
5,959 |
4.19% |
Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
5,626 |
3.96% |
Straws, Stirrers |
3,210 |
2.26% |
Cups & Plates (Foam) |
2,244 |
1.58% |
Top Ten Total |
115,277 |
81.13% |
These ten categories represented 81.13% of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches during the 2014 Virginia Waterways Cleanup. Note that most are food and drink related. Read more in the Ocean Conservancy's report from the 2014 International Coastal Cleanup: 2015 Report: Trash Free Seas: Every Piece, Every Person.
2013 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
| Item | Number recorded |
Percent of total |
| Cigarette Butts | 24,619 | 15.69% |
| Beverage Bottles (Plastic) | 15,937 | 10.16% |
| Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.) | 15,050 | 9.59% |
| Beverage Cans | 12,430 | 7.92% |
| Grocery Bags (Plastic) | 12,159 | 7.75% |
| Beverage Bottles (Glass) | 7,215 | 4.60% |
| Bottle Caps (Plastic) | 5,999 | 3.82% |
| Other Plastic Bags | 5,986 | 3.81% |
| Straws, Stirrers | 3,988 | 2.54% |
| Cups & Plates (Foam) | 3,382 | 2.16% |
| Totals | 106,765 | 68.04% |
These ten categories represented 68.04% of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches during the 2013 Virginia Waterways Cleanup. Note that most are food and drink related. Read more in the Ocean Conservancy's report from the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup: 2014 Report: Turning the Tide on Trash.
2012 Top Ten Litter Items from the Virginia Waterways Cleanup (part of the International Coastal Cleanup)
| Item | Number recorded |
Percent of total |
| 1. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) | 22957 |
15.17% |
|
20823 |
13.76% |
|
17902 |
11.83% |
|
17271 |
11.41% |
|
13690 |
9.05% |
|
13493 |
8.92% |
|
11259 |
7.44% |
|
9173 |
6.06% |
|
2990 |
1.98% |
|
2735 |
1.81% |
Top Ten Total |
132,293 |
87.42% |
2011 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Food Wrappers and Containers |
17895 |
17.13 % |
|
2. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
12282 |
11.76 % |
|
3. Bags (plastic) |
9895 |
9.47 % |
|
4. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
9660 |
9.25 % |
|
5. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
9116 |
8.73 % |
|
6. Tires! |
7634 |
7.31 % |
|
7. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
6506 |
6.23 % |
|
8. Beverage Cans |
6184 |
5.92 % |
|
9. Caps/Lids |
5418 |
5.19 % |
|
10. Straws/Stirrers |
3615 |
3.46 % |
|
These ten categories represented 84.45 % of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches during the 2011 Virginia Waterways Cleanup. Note that the top three items, plus items #5, 7, 8, 9,and 10 are all food and drink related. Cigarette butts fell to 4th place. Tires made the Virginia Top Ten for the first time ever thanks to dedicated volunteers who removed approximately 7000 tires from one river location! Compare the 2011 list with previous years. Are there any trends you see?
2010 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
19,107 |
14.49 % |
|
2. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
18,100 |
13.73 % |
|
3. Bags (plastic) |
15,616 |
11.84 % |
|
4. Food Wrappers and Containers |
15,559 |
11.80 % |
|
5. Beverage Cans |
11,015 |
8.35 % |
|
6. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
10,808 |
8.20 % |
|
7. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
9,377 |
7.11 % |
|
8. Caps/Lids |
7,340 |
5.57 % |
|
9. Straws/Stirrers |
3,258 |
2.47 % |
|
10. Bags (paper) |
2,177 |
1.65 % |
|
These ten categories represented 85.20 % of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches during the 2010 Virginia Waterways Cleanup. Cigarette butts are on top of the list again. Food and beverage packaging dominate the rest of the list. Compare the 2010 list with previous years. Are there any trends you see?
2009 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
14,679 |
13.91 % |
|
2. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
13,297 |
12.60 % |
|
3. Beverage Cans |
12,942 |
12.26 % |
|
4. Bags (plastic) |
10,642 |
10.08 % |
|
5. Food Wrappers and Containers |
10,249 |
9.71 % |
|
6. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
9,995 |
9.47 % |
|
7. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
7,910 |
7.50 % |
|
8. Caps/Lids |
6,577 |
6.12 % |
|
9. Straws/Stirrers |
3,838 |
3.64 % |
|
10. Bags (paper) |
2,487 |
2.36 % |
|
These ten categories represented 87.77 % of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches. Cigarette butts are on top of the list again. Food and beverage packaging dominate the rest of the list.
2008 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
17,607 |
16.06 % |
|
2. Food Wrappers and Containers |
15,231 |
13.90 % |
|
3. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
13,499 |
12.32 % |
|
4. Beverage Cans |
11,838 |
10.80 % |
|
5. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
10,571 |
9.64 % |
|
6. Bags (plastic) |
9,273 |
8.46 % |
|
7. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
5,966 |
5.44 % |
|
8. Caps/Lids |
5,695 |
5.20 % |
|
9. Straws/Stirrers |
2,603 |
2.37 % |
|
10. Bags (paper) |
2,332 |
2.13 % |
|
No surprises in the data collected by volunteers in 2008! These ten categories represented 86.32 % of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches. Cigarette butts are on top of the list. Food and beverage packaging dominate the rest of the list.
2007 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
28,600 |
19.5 % |
|
2. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
24,638 |
16.8 % |
|
3. Food Wrappers and Containers |
17,831 |
12.2 % |
|
4. Bags |
13,973 |
9.5 % |
|
5. Beverage Cans |
11,147 |
7.6 % |
|
6. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
9,885 |
6.7 % |
|
7. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
7,796 |
5.3 % |
|
8. Caps/Lids |
5,464 |
3.7 % |
|
9. Building Supplies |
4,728 |
3.2 % |
|
10. Straws/Stirrers |
2,429 |
1.7 % |
|
In 2007, these ten categories represented 86.2 % of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches. Cigarette butts are on top of the list. Food and beverage packaging dominate the rest of the list. Building supplies (often construction waste) made Virginia's Top Ten for the first time.
2006 Top Ten in Virginia
Item |
Number found |
Per Cent of Total |
|
1. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
9729 |
13.5% |
|
2. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
9542 |
13.3% |
|
3. Bags |
8364 |
11.6% |
|
4. Food Wrappers and Containers |
7537 |
10.5% |
|
5. Beverage Cans |
7418 |
10.3% |
|
6. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
7400 |
10.3% |
|
7. Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons |
4083 |
5.7% |
|
8. Caps/Lids |
3992 |
5.5% |
|
9. Straws/Stirrers |
2066 |
2.9% |
|
10. Balloons |
1279 |
1.8% |
|
In 2006, these ten categories represented 85.4% of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches. Plastic beverage bottles are on top of the list. Food and beverage packaging and cigarette butts dominate the rest of the list. Once again, balloons made the top ten list -- an indication that this is a serious and continuing problem.
2005 Top Ten in Virginia
Debris Item |
Number of Items |
Percent of Total |
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
11,974 |
17.8% |
2. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
8,531 |
12.7% |
3. Food Wrappers and Containers |
7,677 |
11.4% |
4. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
6,241 |
9.3% |
5. Beverage Cans |
5,799 |
8.6% |
6. Bags |
4,959 |
7.4% |
7. Caps/Lids |
3,427 |
5.1% |
8. Cups/Plates/Forks/ Knives/Spoons |
3,133 |
4.6% |
9. Straws/Stirrers |
1,514 |
2.2% |
10. Balloons |
1,332 |
2.0% |
Totals: |
54,587 |
80.9% |
In 2005, these ten categories represented 80.9% of the trash picked up from Virginia’s rivers and beaches. Cigarettes butts are back on top of the list. Food and beverage packaging dominates the rest of the list. The biggest story is that balloons made the top ten list. This should not be a surprise to the Site Captains who have their cleanups on Virginia’s beaches. While balloons that fall on land stay where they fall, the balloons that fall in the ocean or in the Chesapeake Bay wash up on the shore, where volunteers find them in great numbers.
2004 Top Ten in Virginia
Debris Item |
Number of Items |
Percent of Total |
1. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
13,703 |
15.6 % |
2. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
12,692 |
14.4% |
3. Food Wrappers/Containers |
10,543 |
12.0 % |
4. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
8,896 |
10.1 % |
5. Beverage Cans |
8,774 |
10.0 % |
6. Bags |
6,883 |
7.8 % |
7. Caps, Lids |
5,571 |
6.3 % |
8. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons |
5,100 |
5.8 % |
9. Straws / Stirrers |
1,714 |
2.1 % |
10. Balloons |
1,478 |
1.7 % |
Totals: |
75,454 |
85.8% |
2003 Top Ten in Virginia
Debris Item |
Number of Items |
Percent of Total |
1. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
12,527 |
24.6% |
2. Food Wrappers/Containers |
7,848 |
15.4% |
3. Beverage Cans |
6,220 |
12.2% |
4. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
4,564 |
9.0% |
5. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
4,078 |
8.0% |
6. Bags |
3,430 |
6.7% |
7. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons |
3,033 |
6.0% |
8. Caps, Lids |
2,471 |
4.9% |
9. Bait Containers/Packaging |
802 |
1.6% |
10. Cigarette Lighters |
701 |
1.4% |
Totals: |
45,674 |
89.8% |
2002 Top Ten in Virginia
Debris Item |
Number of Items |
Percent of Total |
1. Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters |
9,775 |
24.8% |
2. Food Wrappers/Containers |
4,210 |
10.7% |
3. Beverage Bottles (Glass) |
3,714 |
9.4% |
4. Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less |
3,630 |
9.2% |
5. Beverage Cans |
3,233 |
8.2% |
6. Caps, Lids |
2,357 |
6.0% |
7. Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons |
2,219 |
5.6% |
8. Bags |
2,091 |
5.3% |
9. Balloons |
1,180 |
3.0% |
10. Straws, Stirrers |
891 |
2.3% |
Totals: |
33,300 |
84.5% |
2001 Top Ten in Virginia
Debris Item |
Number of Items |
Percent of Total |
1. bags/food wrappers |
11,452 |
14.9% |
2. beverage bottles (plastic) 2 liters or less |
11,362 |
14.8% |
3. cigarettes/cigarette filters |
11,193 |
14.6% |
4. beverage bottles (glass) |
9,045 |
11.8% |
5. beverage cans |
6,657 |
8.7% |
6. cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons |
5,718 |
7.4% |
7. caps, lids |
4,214 |
5.5% |
8. fast-food containers |
2,348 |
3.1% |
9. straws, stirrers |
2,066 |
2.7% |
10. tobacco packaging/wrappers |
1,388 |
1.8% |
Total: |
65,443 |
85.2% |
To get data from your LOCAL area, use the Ocean Conservancy's TIDES on-line data base. It is FREE to use.
TIDES is a public data system containing the world's largest ocean trash dataset, all collected by volunteers. These citizen science data are collected during the annual International Coastal Cleanup and by users of Clean Swell, Ocean Conservancy's ocean trash data collection app. When exploring this system, you can view ocean trash data at a global scale or even zoom into your local beach. Looking to do your own analysis? Easily download reports for any country, state, region or location. Don't forget to join the TIDES community and contribute your ocean trash data by downloading Clean Swell!
