KRUZOF ISLAND, Alaska – Ocean Conservancy and Sitka Sound Science Center partnered to clean up hundreds of pounds of debris from the shores of remote Kruzof Island, about 12 miles west of Sitka, Alaska. This kicked off Ocean Conservancy’s 40th International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), the world’s largest volunteer effort to remove and catalog trash from beaches, lakes, and waterways. ICC events will be held through September across the globe, with flagship events in Washington, D.C., and Miami, Fla.

“For 40 years, International Coastal Cleanup volunteers have been tackling the ocean plastic pollution crisis head on,” said Allison Schutes, senior director of conservation cleanups at Ocean Conservancy.  “I’m thrilled to join local volunteers and partners here in Sitka to kick off our 40th anniversary celebration. The ocean connects us all. Every net, bottle and straw, every single item collected helps keep our ocean and our communities healthy. Thank you to Sitka and volunteers across Alaska and around the world for 40 years of community impact.”

“We are grateful for our longstanding partnership with Ocean Conservancy in the coordination of large marine debris cleanups along remote coastlines of Southeast Alaska,” said Lauren Bell, research director at Sitka Sound Science Center. “Marine debris isn’t just an eyesore—it harms the health of our fisheries, wildlife, and coastal communities. The Sitka Sound Science Center is studying how marine debris travels along coastlines and impacts shoreline habitats and ecosystem services. Community cleanups like this one are essential to both local stewardship as well as the science that will help us better address this global issue.”

“In Sitka and across Alaska, the ocean is central to our way of life,” said Kristina Tirman, senior manager, Arctic marine debris for Ocean Conservancy. “That’s why it is so meaningful to bring together partners from around the world for the 40^th International Coastal Cleanup here in Sitka. Together, we’re helping to protect the people, wildlife and communities that are deeply connected to these waters and threatened by plastic pollution.”

Kruzof Island is nestled in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, on the traditional lands of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people, and is the largest contiguous temperate rainforest in the world. The ocean resources in this area, including thousands of whales, birds, fish and other iconic wildlife, are increasingly threatened by the millions of tons of plastics that flow into the ocean each year.

This stunning rate of plastic pollution combined with ocean currents that circle entire ocean regions, like the North Pacific, means that even islands with no permanent settlements like Kruzof Island have beaches littered with plastics. 

Even once collected, removing debris from remote communities or beaches to recycling or disposal facilities is a major challenge in Alaska. Trash from Kruzof Island was taken by boat to Sitka, Alaska, then taken by truck to be sorted. Buoys, nets and other lost fishing gear – also known as “ghost gear” – in good condition will be reused. Everything else must be loaded onto a barge and shipped to the Lower 48 for disposal. Ghost gear is often the number one pollutant removed during Alaska cleanups, and is the most deadly form of plastic debris in the ocean to wildlife. 

During 2024’s International Coastal Cleanup events, 736 volunteers collected and recorded 7,851 pounds of trash from Alaskan shorelines. Ocean Conservancy partners with tribes and tribal organizations, government entities, industry and others to conduct cleanups across the state and innovate solutions to issues like removing the trash to be disposed of. Ocean Conservancy recently hired a specialist to manage backhaul logistics for the marine debris cleanup initiatives it supports.

More than a garbage truck’s worth of plastics flows into the ocean every minute, impacting every species from the tiniest plankton to the largest blue whales. Since the first ICC in 1986, nearly 19 million volunteers have joined cleanup efforts big and small to remove over 400 million pounds (181 million kilograms) of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide. 

Partners participating in yesterday’s cleanup included Ocean Conservancy, Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka Conservation Society, Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government, City of Sitka, Alaska State Representative Rebecca Himschoot, Keep Norway Beautiful, and local commercial fishermen.

Representatives from participating organizations are available for interview upon request. URL to photos: https://oceanconservancy.mediavalet.com/portals/Sitka_2025_Cleanup