Once the fireworks end, the Fourth of July is usually followed by the dirtiest beach day of the year, according to the Surfrider Foundation's tally of annual clean-ups across the country.
Last year, the environmental group collected more than 50,000 pounds of trash along beaches and coastal waters with the help of 1,400 volunteers.
While cigarette butts typically amount to the most collected item, plastic pollution makes up the bulk of trash. Cups, straws, bags and other plastic items that can harm wildlife accounted for 83% of the trash collected in its most recent annual report in 2024.
Following this year’s festivities in South Florida, more than three dozen Surfrider volunteers turned out Sunday in Miami and Deerfield and collected more than 500 pounds of trash in just three hours.
READ MORE: Miami can expect a wave of plastic pollution from the World Cup, nonprofit warns
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