AUGUSTA — The Maine Coastal Program is sponsoring a week of coastal cleanups this month throughout the state.

Coastweek 2012 will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 15, in tandem with the International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy. From Sept. 15-22, thousands of volunteers will clear Maine’s beaches and waterways of debris in one of Maine’s largest volunteer conservation events.

In 2011, Maine had 2361 volunteers who cleared 109 miles of beaches and coastal waterways of an estimated 19,082 pounds of trash, for an average of 175 pounds of trash per mile.

Volunteers are an essential part of the cleanup effort, and so far, there are more than 40 cleanup coordinators for a variety of cleanup locations, said Theresa Torrent-Ellis, Maine Coastweek coordinator for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

To coordinate a cleanup or to find one to join, go to www.mainecoastalprogram.org and click on the “Maine Coastweek” link. For more information, contact Torrent-Ellis at [email protected] or 287-2351.