Hundreds of volunteers clean up the Anacostia River banks

Volunteers found a discarded tire along the banks of the Anacostia during Saturday’s trash cleanup at Kingman Island. (Alyssa Schukar for Ocean Conservancy)

Volunteers of all ages took time to grab some glove and pick up trash during the 39th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Event at Kingman Island organized by Ocean Conservancy. (Alyssa Schukar for Ocean Conservancy)

Volunteers participate in a trash cleanup as part of the 39th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Event at Kingman Island organized by Ocean Conservancy. (Alyssa Schukar for Ocean Conservancy)

Volunteers participating in a trash cleanup as part of the 39th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Event at Kingman Island organized by Ocean Conservancy found an analog television estimated to be from the early 1980s along the Anacostia banks on September 28, 2024. (Alyssa Schukar for Ocean Conservancy)

Volunteers grab drinking water from fountains during the 39th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Event at Kingman Island organized by Ocean Conservancy. (Alyssa Schukar for Ocean Conservancy)

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Hundreds of volunteers picked up tires, old suitcases and mini liquor bottles on Kingman Island Saturday morning as part of International Coastal Clean-up Day.

“Just felt like getting out and cleaning up some trash and just helping out the local ecosystem around D.C.,” said Jimmy Spore, a volunteer with the event hosted by Ocean Conservancy.

He and his partner Aqila Putri picked up over 15 pounds of trash in just one spot on the banks of the Anacostia.

“A lot of Styrofoam pieces, which I think is very concerning, because they just get smaller and smaller and will never get degraded,” Putri said.

The organization said nearly 300 volunteers walked through briars, mud and mosquitoes to remove more than 2,000 of pounds of plastic and other waste. One volunteer even found a pair of old Crocs.

Before the cleanup, “If you go down by the bank — just plastic everywhere, all of which will end up in the ocean eventually but, for now, it’s all over our rivers,” Brian Garner said.

But after three hours of work along the of hands along the banks of the Anacostia were pristine.

“It’s just really exciting to see the turnout, and at the end of it to see the impact that we’ve all had in just a couple hours,” Ocean Conservancy Senior Director Alison Schutes told WTOP.

Schutes has been overseeing the event at Kingman Island for over a decade, helping clean along local waterways and collect data used to better understand ocean trash and plastic pollution.

“While it’s critical that we work to turn off the tap of plastics flowing into the environment, we all have a role to play in protecting our ocean from plastic pollution. Every piece of trash collected and recorded today not only helps to preserve local ecosystems but also informs important research and advocacy,” Schutes said.

Over the years volunteers have seen fewer and fewer single-use plastics, according to Schutes. She hopes this is a sign that recent policy decisions like plastic bag and Styrofoam bans are working.

“There are organizations all over the DMV — all over the country — doing incredible work. This is just something we can all have an immediate impact on,” said Schutes.

According to Ocean Conservancy, more than 11 million metric tons of plastic waste are estimated to enter the ocean yearly. Since it began working to clean waterways in 1986, the Ocean Conservancy says some 18 million volunteers have helped remove 385 million pounds of trash from the environment.

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