Year: 2023
Relevance
Litter is an issue that impairs the environment, stormwater infrastructure, tourism and industry along coastlines. A Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-funded extension specialist led the coordination and training duties for the long-running Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program with the mission of preventing and removing litter from the coastal environment through education, outreach, research and cleanup events.
Response
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported Mississippi Coastal Cleanup organized or facilitated 193 cleanup events.
Results
The 2018-2023 cleanup events attracted 12,741 volunteers who contributed 40,613 volunteer hours and removed 126.21 tons of litter, which carries a conservative annual ecosystem service impact of $2,290,739. Volunteers also collected data on the types of litter to identify sources and design targeted prevention methods, a value that exceeded $1,121,490.
Recap
The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program, coordinated by a Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant extension specialist, removed over 126.21 tons of litter from the coastal environment while educating more than 12,741 youth and adult volunteers about marine debris. (2018-2023)