A warm October day helped bring out thousands to clean up New Jersey beaches on Saturday.

Clean Ocean Action volunteers on a Sandy Hook beach
Clean Ocean Action volunteers on a Sandy Hook beach (Clean Ocean Action)
loading...

From Sandy Hook to Cape May, volunteers collected, sorted and catalogued debris left behind by beach-goers that will go into the Clean Ocean Action annual report about New Jersey's beaches containing data from their spring and fall clean ups.

Among the more unusual items collected were a plastic heel from a shoe, underwear, a medical mask, weather stripping materials, a baseball, diapers, baby doll leg, fishing pole, piece of a pier, a Barbie shoe, bubble wands, 4 toothbrush heads according to Clean Ocean Action.

In 4 Sandy Hook locations, COA says volunteers found 3,460 food and candy wrappers, 142 rubber balloons, 3,316 plastic straws and stirrers, 106 plastic light sticks and 571 plastic forks, knives and spoons.

“The Beach Sweeps are an excellent illustration of the public’s support for a clean ocean,” commented Tavia Danch, Clean Ocean Action’s Education Coordinator for Pollution Prevention. “The program, specifically the data-collection element, builds community support for solutions, raises awareness about the negative impacts of litter, and teaches citizens about the types and quantities of debris found,” added Danch.

Since 1985,Clean Ocean Action says over 90,000 volunteers have participated and removed over 4.5 million pieces of debris from New Jersey's beaches and waterways.

 

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM