Midcoast volunteers to gather for coastal cleanup on 9/11

TIMES RECORD • September 9, 2024

Each September, thousands of volunteers gather on the shores of Merrymeeting Bay, the Kennebec River and lakes, streams and ponds across the state. Local environmental groups lead them to clean the shores and document the litter collected. The effort is part of a larger International Coastal Cleanup. In 2022, 2,530 pounds of marine debris were disposed of, and in 2023, the amount increased to 5,578 pounds. This year, Sarah Madronal, outreach manager at the Nature Conservancy, hopes to raise the bar. She will steer a cleanup at Basin Preserve in Phippsburg on Sept. 11.