Styrofoam pieces the size of tree trunks, brass nails and fishing lures were some of the trash removed from Brandt Island Cove on Friday morning by nine volunteers from the Mattapoisett Land Trust.

Under an overcast sky, the volunteers trudged back and forth on the marsh, using hand trucks, wheelbarrows and their hands to move the garbage. Altogether, they removed three truckloads of debris.

Land Trust President Michael Huguenin said removing the Styrofoam pieces was important for the environment.

“There’s probably twenty-five or thirty years worth of accumulation of stuff, some washed ashore during Hurricane Bob,” he said. “These big chunks get reduced to smaller and smaller chunks and wind their way into the ecosystem.”

Some of the Styrofoam was, no doubt, a byproduct of Leisure Shores Marina's unencapsulated docks. The disintegrating docks were replaced earlier this year after years of complaints to the town and state Environmental Protection Agency.

Huguenin said the trust would like to thank Kim and Mike Ward for allowing volunteers to access the site from their property, which made it much easier to remove the debris.

He noted that the trash was dropped off at Leisure Shores Marina, and the company later disposed of it.

“Getting this debris out of the Brandt Cove marsh and woods is a nice Christmas present for the environment,” Huguenin said.

The 132-acre property has trails that are accessible from Anchorage Way and Whalers Way.

To help with that effort, contact the trust at info@mattlandtrust.org.