Thousands of Citizens Fall for Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Sweeps

Over 3000 volunteers gathered on Saturday, October 20 from 9:00AM–12:30PM at over 60 New Jersey beaches and waterways to clean harmful debris at Clean Ocean Action’s 33rd Annual Fall Beach Sweeps. Cloudy morning skies didn’t deter enthusiastic volunteers from spending the day cleaning, collecting and tabulating debris that they removed from shorelines from Essex to Cape May
Counties. The data produced from this event is combined with the data from the Spring Beach Sweeps that was held on April 21, 2018 and publicized in an annual report that provides a deeper
exploration into the pollution issues throughout the Jersey Shore. The 2018 Annual Beach Sweeps Report will be released in April 2019, prior to the 34th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps. To view data presented in the 2017 Annual Report, visit COA’s website.

Leah from Brownie Troop 1407 listens to and then helps save her ocean at the Sandy Hook Beach

Beach Sweeps help reduce water pollution from beaches to stop debris from entering waterways, where they become harmful and even lethal to aquatic life. The data from the Beach Sweeps turns a one-day event into a legacy of information to improve public awareness, change wasteful habits, enforce litter laws and improve policies to reduce sources of marine debris.

Hamlet the Mini Pig at the Ortley Beach Sweep site

Preliminary results from Sandy Hook, including the top five items:
(1) – 8,890 plastic pieces
(2) – 6,413 caps/lids
(3) – 5,046 straws/stirrers
(4) – 4,203 food/candy wrappers
(5) – 1,475 foam pieces

COA’s Beach Captains are there to the direct to the hub of volunteers and individual participates at each site. These Captains lead the cleanup effort and are an indispensable part to which we owe the overall success of the program.

Group hauling a tire at the Sandy Hook, Kingham Mills Beach Sweep site

With gratitude, Clean Ocean Action thanks: AVEDA, Bank of America, Comcast and ShopRite for their 2018 Beach Sweeps Statewide Sponsorships.

Volunteer filling out a data card at the North Wildwood Beach Sweep site

 2018 County Sponsors:
Montecalvo Material Recovery facility, Enterprise, Hackensack Meridian Health

2018 Site Sponsors: Atlantic City Electric, ComcastCares, Can’D Aid Foundation, Jersey Central Power & Light and NuStar Energy, SERVPro of Eatontown and Long Branch, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Jenkinson’s Boardwalk and Aquarium, Baine Contracting

2018 Supporting Businesses: Water Witch Coffee, D’Alessio’s Bagel Express, MPX New Jersey, Atlantic Bagel Co.