Volunteers Needed for NJ Beach Sweeps This Saturday

Clean Action Ocean's 40th annual New Jersey Beach Sweeps happen this Saturday, Oct. 18th, from 9 am to 12:30 pm at 20 beaches in Atlantic, Cape May, and lower Ocean counties.

What started in 1985 with 75 volunteers at a single site has grown over the past 40 years to over 176,000 volunteers removing 8.7 million pieces from New Jersey shores.

How to Volunteer

Clean Ocean Action could use your help this Saturday. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Kids under age 12 must be supervised by an adult.

Volunteers must register, which can be done online.

Clean Ocean Action says to bring gloves and a trash bucket. The buckets have replaced the number of plastic bags used. Good idea!

You should wear sunglasses and hard-soled shoes.

The Trashy Details

You will be asked to help document the trash you collect. The information is compiled to give us a better idea of what is being discarded on beaches and how we can prevent it from happening.

A couple of items that have recently increased the amount of trash on New Jersey beaches are reusable bags and dental floss picks.

Then there are the items that always seem to top the trash list.

Plastic bottles, cigarette butts, e-cigarette cartridges, plastic cutlery, styrofoam cups, cardboard, and assorted beachwear and gear.

And, we can't forget those 'Oh wow, they actually found that on the beach?' items like dirty diapers, syringes, a Christmas wreath, and an inflatable hot tub —  just some of the more than 276,899 items volunteers collected from New Jersey’s beaches in the last Beach Sweep.

Local Beaches Being Cleaned This Saturday

Atlantic City:

- S. Florida Ave. Beach

-  S. Albany Ave. Beach

- S. Connecticut Ave. Beach

Brigantine:

- 17th St. Beach

Ventnor:

- Newport Ave. Beach

Margate:

- Granville Ave. Beach

Longport:

- 33rd & Atlantic Ave. Beach

Cape May County

Avalon:

- 30th St. Boardwalk

Cape May:

- The Nature Center of Cape May, 1600 Delaware Ave.

- 2nd Ave. Beach

North Wildwood:

- Hereford Inlet Beach

Ocean City:

- Ocean City Music Pier

Sea Isle City:

- Boardwalk at JFK Blvd.

Stone Harbor:

- 95th St. Beach

Villas:

- Beach at Village Road & Bay Drive

Wildwood Crest:

- Gazebo at Rambler Road & Ocean Ave.

Wildwood:

- Poplar Ave Beach

Lower Ocean County

Lavallette:

Philadelphia Ave. Beach

Long Beach Island:

- Wally's Restaurant in Surf City, 712 Long Beach Blvd.

- Brant Beach, 68th Street