We got so much coverage!! From Hawaii to Philadelphia, Boston and Arkansas some volunteers and your records from the Clean Swell app made the news. The press was all over the statistics. It ran in multiple TV channels and in newspapers all over the country. Just Sunday we made it into the New York Times!
This is why using the Clean Swell app and adding PBC or Pacific Beach Coalition as your group is so important. Thanks to all your efforts, more people learned about PPE litter and heard about our mission. You might think your work barely makes ripples, but together, we are actually making waves, TIDAL waves!

The New York Times

Masks After Covid

Online & TV News

ABC News: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide, threaten sea life
California –
– CTV News and ABC10: California groups track face masks, gloves bound for ocean
– KTVU News: Bay Area volunteers noticing more PPE trash
– KPIX5, CBS SF Bay Area: Coastside Cleanup Group Says Pandemic PPE Is Choking Beaches
– AP Press: Masks and gloves are saving lives — and causing pollution
– Courthouse News Service: Abundance of Covid Protective Equipment Clogging California Beaches
South Dakota – DRGNews.com: California groups track face masks, gloves bound for ocean
Arkansas – Arkansas Democratic Gazette: Plastic in Ocean
Indianapolis – Fox59: Masks and gloves are saving lives — and causing pollution
Montana – NBC Montana: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide, threaten sea life
Chicago –
– NewsNation: California environmental groups track face masks, gloves bound for ocean
– Daily Herald: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide, threaten sea life
Baltimore – Baltimore Sun: What will we do with our masks post-pandemic?
Nevada – KOLO8 ABC: Masks and gloves are saving lives — and causing pollution
Washington – Capitol Weekly: The battle against COVID-19’s increasing trash level
New Jersey – Pix11: Discarded masks litter beaches around the world, threaten sea life
New York
– NBC New York: Over 1,100 PPE Items Removed From Jersey Shore Last Year, as Masks Litter World’s Beaches
– New York Post: Masks and gloves are saving lives — but causing a ton of pollution
Florida – Florida News Times: Discarded masks are scattered on beaches around the world and threaten marine life

International News:
Dubai – The National: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide and threaten sea life
UK Isle of Man – Phys.org: Masks and gloves are saving lives—and causing pollution
India – The Economic Times: Masks and gloves are saving lives – and causing pollution

& SO MANY MORE!!

Radio Segments

Capital Public Radio, Sacramento: Masks and gloves save human lives but cause oceanic pollution

Disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment have safeguarded untold lives during the pandemic, but they’re also creating a global pollution problem, according to the Associated Press.
Tossed PPE is littering streets and sending an influx of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans, so environmental groups like The Pacific Beach Coalition are tackling the issue on the coastline, trying to do something about it.
The group cleans up beaches in and around Pacifica, south of San Francisco. Volunteers record what they pick up to gauge what might end up in the ocean. The group’s president, Lynn Adams, said it’s seen a dramatic increase in discarded PPE and is working to call attention to the problem.

KALW: PPE Is Protecting Us From COVID-19 — And Creating A Problem For The Environment

Personal Protective Equipment has helped keep us safe from the coronavirus. But now it’s littering streets and making its way into oceans. 
Volunteers with the Pacific Beach Coalition have been cleaning up beaches in Pacifica for almost 25 years, and tracking what they collect. During the pandemic, the waste they’ve found has largely changed from cigarette butts and food wrappers — to an overwhelming number of discarded masks, wipes, and gloves.
When these plastic products make it into the ocean, animals can get tangled up, or even eat them thinking they’re food. While it’s important to continue wearing PPE, volunteers are advocating for proper disposal of single-use items. They also say one small thing you can do to help wildlife in case your mask ends up in the ocean, is to cut the loops before you throw it away. 

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Boston Globe & SF Chronicle