Volunteers at Old Orchard Beach keep the shore sparkling on the fifth of July

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2026

Cigarette butts, lone flip-flops and un-lit sparklers filled blue Lowe’s buckets to the brim Sunday at Old Orchard Beach. Under the pier, blue tarps displayed the Surfrider Foundation’s beach cleanup loot, waiting to be sorted by volunteers. The Surfrider Foundation’s Maine chapter has been holding beach cleanups at Old Orchard Beach the day after the Fourth of July for several years. The nationwide environmental nonprofit hosts events that promote the fight against climate change and plastic pollution, Maine Chapter Chair Paula Slayton said. Festivities on Independence Day inspired the foundation to dub the fifth of July “The Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year,” and launch a cleanup.