Thousands hit local beaches on Saturday for Fall Beach Sweeps

Members of the Shore Regional Interact Club, Eric Bolsch, Ben Hess, Andrew Mahon, T.J. Sempkowski, Jack Arnette and Tom Markey.

Members of the Ranney School Lower Community Service Club spent their Saturday volunteering to clean up the beach.

Thousands of volunteers hit the beaches to participate in Clean Ocean Action’s (COA) 27th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps at 60 sites along the Jersey Shore. Volunteers removed and catalogued each piece of debris to document ongoing pollution issues.
“Human trash is now found on every shoreline in the world and throughout the global ocean.  Human trash not only makes beaches ugly, it maims and kills marine life.  We must do more to reduce plastic pollution and Beach Sweeps are one way citizens can help.  People love the beach and ocean and are proud of the real Jersey Shore, it is inspiring and our elected officials should take note.” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of COA.
The data collected was catalogued and combined with data collected at the Spring Beach Sweep held in April; it will then be analyzed and presented in an annual report. These annual reports identify pollution problems, educate citizens on the types and quantities of debris, aid legislators in passing and enforcing laws to protect the marine environment, and contribute to local and international efforts to combat marine pollution.  Last year’s 2011 Annual Beach Sweep Report is available at www.cleanoceanaction.org.
“The Beach Sweeps are an excellent illustration of the public’s support for a clean ocean,” said 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.
The Fall Beach Sweeps were made possible by support from generous sponsors.  The Statewide Sponsors for the 2012 Beach Sweeps are Atlantic City Electric, Aveda, Bank of America, Comcast, Montecalvo Material Recovery Facility, Surfers Environmental Alliance, and Wakefern/Shoprite.
Since 1985, over 90,000 volunteers have participated and removed over 4.5 million pieces of debris from New Jersey’s beaches and waterways.  To date, Beach Sweeps is one of the longest running cleanups of its kind in the world.