Surfrider beach cleanup report highlights big hauls in Hawaii, including post-Kona Low cleanup
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Surfrider Foundation’s 2025 beach cleanup annual report says volunteers removed nearly 340,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from U.S. coastlines, underscoring the scale of pollution reaching shorelines, including in Hawaii.
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The report says two of the heaviest single-day cleanups in Surfrider’s national network took place on Kauai, including 3,202 pounds removed from Anahola Bay. On Oahu, the University of Hawaii at Manoa student club said a post–Kona Low storm cleanup removed 1,132 pounds of trash, according to the report.
Nationally, Surfrider said more than 34,000 volunteers participated in 1,058 cleanups in 2025, collecting about 805,000 items across beaches, parks and coastal ecosystems. The report found plastic made up 85% of all items logged, with an estimated more than 685,000 pieces of plastic removed in a single year.
Surfrider said Hawaii’s totals can skew heavier by weight because large marine debris, including discarded fishing nets, can wash ashore on Kauai due to ocean gyres. The report says Surfrider Kauai launched a program called Net Patrol to address abandoned nets along the island’s coastline.
The report also highlighted the persistence of smoking-related trash. Surfrider said smoking waste, including cigarette butts, packaging, plastic lighters and vapes, made up 25% of all items cataloged during its cleanups. The organization said disposable vapes and nicotine pouches are emerging litter issues and cited research estimating hundreds of thousands of disposable vapes are thrown away daily.
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Surfrider said cleanups alone won’t solve the problem and called for policy and industry changes to reduce single-use plastics at the source. The report pointed to measures such as plastic bag laws and “Skip the Stuff” policies that require takeout customers to opt in to utensils, condiments and napkins.
Surfrider also designated July 5 as the “Dirtiest Beach Day of the Year,” saying chapters nationwide removed nearly 55,000 pounds of trash that day across more than 50 cleanup events following Independence Day celebrations.
On Kauai, Surfrider’s report listed Anahola Bay (Jan. 19) and Nukolii Marine Camp (June 8) among the 10 heaviest single-day cleanups of 2025, with 2,402 pounds removed at Nukolii.
Surfrider Foundation is a national nonprofit focused on coastal protection and reducing plastic pollution.
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