Nearly 300 trash bags filled with 7,254 pounds of trash—three-quarters of which was made up of 50,549 cigarette butts—were collected as part of the New Hampshire Coastal Cleanup this fall. The annual event was held at 26 sites along Great Bay and the coastline, as part of an international cleanup to promote awareness of marine debris along Earth’s coasts.

Cleanups were conducted from mid-September through late October, with most of the cleanups occurring Sept. 16.

Nearly 1,000 volunteers tracked the presence of over 40 items using data cards, and the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation tabulated the trash totals.

In addition to cigarette butts, other prevalent items included bottle caps and lids, food wrappers, beverage cans and bottles, rope, bags and straws. Unusual items noted on data cards included a tube of lipstick, Army men, air freshener, a blood collection tube, carpet, Lego pieces, paintballs, a computer, a grill and a dog shocker, according to a press release from the Blue Ocean Society.

At Rye Harbor, the group says, 10 divers conducting an underwater cleanup removed 3,000 pounds of debris from the harbor bottom, including a submerged dinghy, sunglasses, a traffic cone, a tackle box, carpet pieces, 40 feet of rope, 100 feet of fishing line, boat parts, a 30-foot mooring chain, a large screwdriver, and a Leatherman tool.

Due to the prevalence of cigarette butts on cleanups, the Blue Ocean Society is offering free pocket ashtrays to the public, which were purchased using a grant from the N.H. Coastal Program. They can be obtained by calling 603-431-0260.

The organization is in the process of writing a report on the cleanup, which will be available to the public online along with data results from all 26 sites. Updates and materials will be available online at www.blueoceansociety.com