THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994            TAG: 9409080493
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                         LENGTH: Short :   28 lines

CLEAN-UP SHOWS BEACH LITTER STILL A BIG PROBLEM

Volunteers scouring 4,500 miles of shoreline collected 7.3 million pieces of trash in three hours, illustrating that beaches and waterways continue to be polluted despite the heightened concern about protecting the environment.

A report Wednesday by the Center for Marine Conservation, based on items collected by 158,000 volunteers, said a broad array of debris - from empty soda cans to medical syringes - litters coastal America and the shores of its rivers and lakes.

Among the items collected in the cleanup campaign: 1.7 million cigarette butts, 344,502 pieces of glass, 203,330 straws, 333,996 bottles, 210,553 cans, 134,547 cups, 40,508 balloons, 30,326 light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, 10,166 syringes, 55,470 plastic trash bags and 6,636 condoms.

The cleanup crews covered ocean beaches and inland shorelines in 32 states.

KEYWORDS: TRASH LITTER BEACHES by CNB