CLEVELAND — Eddie Plotts started the Cleveland chapter of Sea Shepherd just a few years ago. 

“Sea Shepherd is an international conservation organization, and we have a fleet of ships we take direct action with around the world to protect marine wildlife,” Plotts explained.  

The Cleveland chapter focuses on raising awareness and cleaning up the beaches along Lake Erie. 

“What a lot of people probably don’t think about is that the Great Lakes flow into the ocean,” he explained. “We want to try to get these pieces of plastic and styrofoam as early in the process as we possibly can, before they start breaking down into microplastics.” 

Plotts spends a lot of time picking up trash along Lake Erie’s shores, leaving no stone unturned. 

“We try to get every piece of trash that we can find off of the beach,” he said. 

The Sea Shepherds held their first beach cleanup of the season Sunday, and what they found pleasantly surprised them.

“We’ve done Perkins Beach every year,” he said. “I’ve never seen this beach look as good as it does today.” 

Styrofoam is typically one of the big issues Plotts sees along Lake Erie.

“In the past, they [the rocks] would be full of styrofoam that is breaking down,” he explained. “As I look here, I’m seeing almost none of that.”

Plotts said he’s not sure why the beach was so clean, but it doesn’t mean it will stay that way. 

“If everyone can just be responsible about disposing of their trash, that goes a long way toward removing the problem and addressing the problem,” he pleaded. 

If you are interested in doing the beach clean-ups, you can find Sea Shepherd Cleveland on Facebook. The chapter holds monthly cleanups from March through November. 

“I had to work really hard to find any trash here, but that’s awesome,” he said. “Keep doing good things folks, because we are seeing it show up here today.” ​