Calling All Beach-Goers! Fall into “Beach Sweeps”

Calling All Beach-Goers!
Grab your Bucket and Fall into “Beach Sweeps”

Volunteers Needed to Remove Litter from Jersey Shore Beaches and Waterways

NJ’s Largest Volunteer Environmental Event

Record 82 Beach Sweeps locations along the Shore and Beyond!

Long Branch – Clean Ocean Action (COA) is calling on people to “Fall into Action” on Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm for the Fall Beach Sweeps along the Jersey Shore and beyond. Volunteers are invited to attend the Beach Sweeps at a record 82 beaches and waterways in New Jersey to help clean up and reduce marine debris.

Twice yearly, volunteers remove litter which makes beaches safer for marine life and more enjoyable for people, while also collecting important data. The data from the Beach Sweeps, collected as people clean beaches, 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.

“The Beach Sweeps is a great way for volunteers, small and tall, to give back to the ocean and beaches, which give us such joy, beauty, and economic vitality all year,” said Cindy Zipf, COA Executive Director.

Now in its 39^th year, the biannual program Beach Sweeps unites volunteers as they spend the morning collecting and tabulating debris removed from shorelines from Essex to Cape May Counties.  At the core of the program are the volunteer Beach Captains who manage each location and help supply and train volunteers for the important tasks of the day.

“We are eternally grateful to these True-Blue warriors of the Beach Sweeps. Their passion and dedication for keeping our waterways clean and safe shines through with each Sweeps,” said Kira Cruz COA’s Debris Free Sea Coordinator. “Thousands of volunteers work so hard to clean beaches and provide the evidence needed to convince our elected officials to pass and enforce the laws necessary to reduce pollution,” Kira added.

How to Get Involved

Volunteers must register to participate in the cleanup event. Visit COA’s website to register, check out all 82 sites,and find out how to thoroughly prepare by visiting the FAQ page.  Volunteers are asked to wear close-toed shoes, reusable gloves, and support our Bucket Brigade! Bring Your Own Bucket (BYOB) to the Beach Sweeps on October 19^th to receive an exclusive Fall sticker to place on a bucket! By bringing a bucket to collect the harmful debris found during the cleanup, the use of plastic bags is reduced.

Beach Sweeps BACKGROUND

Each Beach Sweeps provides a snapshot of what is found on nearly every beach from Englewood Cliffs to Cape May, NJ, and beyond. Collecting data is key to the Beach Sweeps program. This essential task can be tedious and time consuming, and so their efforts are a testament to the volunteer’s ocean devotion. The data is compiled into annual reports that have been used for over two decades as evidence of the need for strong policies and behavior changes to reduce litter and wasteful practices.

For example, the data was instrumental in implementing New Jersey’s “Get Past Plastics” law. The bulk of this law went into effect on May 4, 2022, which banned all plastic bags and foam plastic (e.g., Styrofoam) food containers.  In addition, plastics straws are not to be distributed and can only be made available upon request. Clean Ocean Action’s data shows that since the execution of this law, each item has decreased over 35%. These laws make New Jersey stand out as a national leader in reducing waste and preventing litter, as well as protecting public health and marine life.  To view data presented in the 2023 Beach Sweeps Report.

For more information about Clean Ocean Action’s Beach Sweeps, go to https://cleanoceanaction.org/index.php?id=153.