Flotsam and jetsam have drifted onto Island shores for centuries, although the volume and toxicity of beach trash has increased dramatically during modern times.

Today plastic trash is a blot on beaches, but thankfully it can be reduced simply by rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.

The Vineyard Conservation Society’s Earth Day Beach Clean-Up saw volunteers taking to beaches around the Island last Saturday, April 18. Among the many organizations to dedicate their afternoon to the effort was the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association. The association put their work in on the familiar strand of South Beach, hauling refuse of all shapes, sizes and material out of the sands and away to a proper disposal.