The Newsmagazine of Long Beach Island and Southern Ocean County

By Juliet Kaszas-Hoch | on March 30, 2022

REMOVE, RECORD, REPEAT: Nonprofit Alliance for a Living Ocean spearheads Clean Ocean Action’s cleanup on Long Beach Island. This spring’s Beach Sweeps event is set for April 9. (Photo Courtesy of ALO)

Clean Ocean Action’s annual Beach Sweeps take place – rain or shine – on one Saturday in April and one Saturday in October. This year, the nonprofit is asking volunteers to join the springtime cleanup event at their local beaches on April 9, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

On Long Beach Island, where COA partners with Alliance for a Living Ocean, volunteers can meet ALO members outside Wally’s Restaurant, at 712 Long Beach Blvd. in Surf City, to take part in the community effort to sweep the beaches of litter and log what is found.

Participants are advised to wear comfortable, sturdy shoes and to dress according to the weather conditions.

“Bring your own gloves and a reusable water bottle,” says COA. “Volunteers are also encouraged to bring their own bucket for trash collection, as this helps to reduce the number of plastic bags used. All other materials to clean the beaches will be provided.”

COA launched the first Beach Sweeps in 1985 to rid beaches of unsightly and harmful trash, and the event is now one of the longest-running cleanups of its kind. “Participants collect and record valuable data about debris, which is presented in annual reports and used to advance federal, state and local programs to reduce litter,” the organization explains.

“Fish, whales, birds and other animals often mistake litter for food,” the group adds. “As a result, animals get entangled in or ingest items, such as plastic bags, cigarette filters and fishing line, with deadly results. Cigarette filters mimic fish and have been found in the stomachs of birds and larger fish, blocking and affecting their digestion.

“Moreover, plastic litter takes a few years to several hundred years to break down, thereby threatening wildlife for decades. Litter in waterways can also foul boat motors and propellers, resulting in costly repairs. Finally, littered beaches can ruin a day at the beach. Garbage slicks and wash-ups close beaches to swimming and are detrimental to tourism and the coastal economy.”

“Over the decades, proof of our wasteful ways flowed with the times onto our beaches – from medical waste to cassette tapes to cell phones to vaping caps,” said Cindy Zipf, COA executive director. Fortunately, she added, “people who love the Jersey Shore and the ocean” come together each year “to help to remove litter and provide the evidence needed to reduce pollution.”

As COA Watershed Program Coordinator Alison Jones noted, “COA’s Beach Sweeps data card acts as a time capsule for litter found on our beaches,” which now include items such as e-cigarette cartridges, caps and pens; dental floss picks; disposable wipes; face masks; and disposable gloves.

“The data collected by the thousands of dedicated volunteers up and down the coast is one part of the amazing story of the Beach Sweeps,” remarked COA Advocacy Campaign Manager Kari Martin. “The data has turned hours of hard work removing litter from our shorelines into meaningful and impactful state and federal laws, as well as municipal ordinances. That is a sweeping success.”

To learn more about Beach Sweeps or to register for the April 9 event, visit cleanoceanaction.org.  —J.K.-H.

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