Estefany Molina wants to see you on the beach (clean up)

Estefany Molina wants you to “put your plastic where your mouth is.”

That’s the catchphrase for the annual North Fork Beach Clean Up competition the Greenport-based artist has organized each September since 2020.

Teams of up to six people comb beaches from Riverhead to Orient and Shelter Island for litter, bagging up debris and bringing it to weekly weigh-ins to be sorted and tallied each week, competing for a grand prize. Last year, 12 teams collected 3,063 pounds of trash.

Newsday recently caught up with Molina and Jenna Schwerzmann, both 32, of Surfrider Eastern Long Island, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the nation’s oceans, to learn more about the friendly competition that kicks off Aug. 31.

Schwerzmann is partnering with Molina on the cleanup effort and is sponsoring the contest with other groups. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you launch the cleanup in 2020?

Everyone was trying to isolate outside, go to the beach, go to the trails and be in nature and finding all sorts of trash, complaining [on social media] about garbage at the beach. I think at that point, a lot of people were looking for something to feel purposeful about. If we’re taking care of our environment and where we live, we’re essentially taking care of one another, Molina said.

How is Surfrider involved?

For us, the most important thing is the data, and the volunteers do a really great job of recording everything they pick up, Schwerzmann said. We’re trying to document what the worst types of debris are out on the beach. We lobby at the local, state and federal level and when we’re trying to pass bills to reduce plastic pollution, the decision-makers are really interested in the numbers.

What are the most common items found on local beaches?

Plastic, said Schwerzmann. It’s just so pervasive in our lives. Something we say in the environmental world is that plastics don’t really break down, they break up into tinier pieces of microplastics. We really need to reduce them as a whole, because they never really go away.

Bottlecaps, and a lot of cigarette butts, said Molina. Everyone comes out of [the competition] with a newfound awareness of microplastics.

What’s the most uncommon item brought to a weigh-in?

The first year, someone brought in a water trampoline, Molina said.

What happens to the litter?

We give everyone burlap bags at the beginning — we don’t want to add to the problem by using more plastic to collect plastic, said Molina. Mattituck Environmental has donated a dumpster and we’ll be sorting some things for Upsculpt, which was started by [Greenport artist] Cindy Pease Roe. She turns beach debris into large sculptures that help tell the story of plastic pollution and conservation.

Are you more conscious of your own plastic use? How can others reduce theirs?

Definitely, said Molina. Latin Americans have a joke about how often you take plastic containers and reuse them for other things. Ever since I was young, there’s always been that mentality of reuse and recycle.

Schwerzmann said it’s overwhelming to think about all the changes you could make. I tell people to focus on what you can do a little at a time. You might not be able to give up your car, but maybe you can stop drinking from single use plastic water bottles every day.