As we continue to say, we cannot clean our way out of this ocean plastic mess, but cleanups can provide an eye-opening experience that will put people on a path to being part of the solution. But do they really?

For the third year, we asked our International Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers, and the data again shows that cleanups have a powerful impact on awareness, education, and behavior.

Some highlights:

• For 49% of survey respondents, the 2023 ICC was their first cleanup
• 70% had an increase in knowledge about marine debris from attending the cleanup
• 72% committed to using fewer single-use plastics
• 98% want to do more to protect the environment
• 81% committed to attending another cleanup.
• One of our favorite quotes is: “I didn’t realize just how much waste ends up on the shore and in the water. Volunteering showed me the magnitude of this issue.”