31st Annual Spring Beach Sweeps

Over 4,000 Volunteers Swept the Beaches 

Waves of thanks to everyone who participated in our 31st Annual Spring Beach Sweeps! Over 4,000 volunteers hit the beaches at over 70 sites from Essex County to Cape May County. Another huge thank you to Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Captains, the head volunteers who lead the entire group of participants at each Beach Sweeps location: you are essential to the program’s success! COA may organize the cleanup and compile the data, but it is truly the Beach Captains and the volunteers who are the heart and soul of this program.

For three decades volunteers have been making their way to the coast, bays and waterways twice a year to clean up debris.  Many of the volunteers have personal ties to the shore and some have decades of Sweeps participation. Congressman Pallone rallied with volunteers at Sandy Hook commenting, “Protecting and preserving the Jersey Shore and the ocean waters is an economic issue, as well as an environmental issue. The activities that evolve around the Shore, such as fishing, boating, swimming and tourism, are key to the state’s economy and provide many jobs. I applaud Clean Ocean Action and so many volunteers for their determination to keep our beaches safe and clean."

This spring's recorded data will be combined with data collected in the fall . Make sure you mark your calendars for the 31st Annual Fall Sweeps on Saturday October 22nd from 9 AM to 12:30 PM at various locations!