Balloons are associated with birthdays, graduations, memorials, weddings, and other meaningful events. But when a balloon escapes outdoors or is intentionally released, it can become marine debris. For the Ocean Recovery Community Alliance (ORCA), balloon pollution is not an abstract environmental issue. Our volunteers find balloons, ribbons, strings, and other balloon-related debris during beach and waterway cleanups. Some balloons are still intact. Others are tangled in vegetation, buried...

Ocean Recovery Community Alliance (ORCA) hosted a beach cleanup in Misquamicut, Rhode Island, on May 18, bringing together 25 volunteers who removed 167 pounds of debris from the shoreline. The cleanup was organized in partnership with Misquamicut Beach Foundation and Westerly Recreation, with support from Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team. This volunteer beach cleanup was part of the RI Litter Free Grant program, which allowed ORCA to provide a free Misquamicut Beach Cleanup T-shirt to...

On May 16, 2026, Ocean Recovery Community Alliance (ORCA) hosted a volunteer cleanup in Mystic, Connecticut, alongside Adventure Mystic and Northswell. Volunteers spent the day collecting trash both from kayaks on the Mystic River and on foot throughout downtown Mystic. The sunny weather made for a great day outside while teams removed litter, including balloons, glass bottles, plastic bottles, and other debris from the shoreline and surrounding areas. Event Details The cleanup covered...