By Stephen Appezzato
LONG BRANCH – Clean Ocean Action (COA) and thousands of volunteers around the state are gearing up for the organization’s 40th year of Beach Sweeps this Saturday, April 12. The biannual event, spanning more than 80 coastal locations, invites volunteers to help clean up New Jersey’s shorelines and collect valuable data on the impact of pollution.
According to COA’s 2024 Beach Sweeps Report which was released this week, almost 7,000 volunteers removed approximately 277,000 pieces of debris from Jersey beaches last year. This weekend’s spring Beach Sweep hopes to maintain this momentum.
“As the new Plastic-Free Sea Coordinator, I am excited to see the incredible impact that our communities can have in preserving New Jersey’s beautiful shores,” said COA’s Meg Sulzberg in a release April 8. “The data from the 2024 Beach Sweeps highlights the urgent need for action, and I encourage everyone to join us on April 12 for this important event. Together, we can make a real difference in reducing plastic pollution and protecting our oceans for future generations,” she said.
Volunteers will participate in the cleanup effort at more than 80 locations. In Monmouth County, ocean debris will be removed from shorelines in 24 towns, including First Avenue Beach in Atlantic Highlands, Popamora Point and Snug Harbor in Highlands, Bayshore Waterfront Park, Ideal Beach and Leonardo Public Beach South in Middletown, Monmouth Beach Bathing Pavilion, Maple Cove in Red Bank, Rumson’s Municipal Boat Ramp, Lot D on Sandy Hook and Anchorage Beach, BeachWalk Hotel and Public Beach Pavilion in Sea Bright.
Data collected during each Beach Sweep offers evidence of the scale and severity of marine debris along the Jersey Shore, which COA says can be used to urge elected officials to pass and enforce laws aimed at reducing pollution sources. Each year, data collected from sweeps is compiled into an annual report.
“The hard work of our remarkable Beach Sweeps volunteers and captains shows, unfortunately, that people tend to be litterbugs. The more single-use items that become available and are used, the more they wash up on our beaches. However, when we pass laws and ordinances and implement restrictions on these items, we see less on the beaches,” said COA executive director Cindy Zipf. “These trends can be seen over time.”
Since COA began its Beach Sweeps in 1985, a total of 176,510 volunteers have clocked 1,003,119 hours, removing 8,768,132 pieces of trash from beaches and parks across New Jersey. During last year’s Beach Sweeps, 83.02% of recovered debris was made of plastic.
Items tracked across COA’s annual reports reveal changing patterns in litter, too. In 2021, COA updated its data to note the rising prevalence of certain items named “ocean offenders,” including dental floss picks, disposable and reusable face masks, which have decreased significantly since 2021, and disposable gloves.
To learn more and regis- ter for COA’s April 12 Beach Sweep, visit cleanoceanaction.org/beach-sweeps/sites-and-registration. Volunteers should wear gloves and closed-toe shoes and are asked to bring their own repurposed trash bucket, bag or receptacle for trash collection.
The article originally appeared in the April 10 – 16, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
