Forget Nor'easters: Here's the latest threat to N.J. beaches

More beachgoers seem to be leaving their trash on the beach instead of throwing it away or bringing it home, officials say

If some New Jersey beaches look trashier, it's not your imagination.

Beaches in several New Jersey towns say they're seeing an increase in garbage left behind by patrons, so they've had to get creative at trying to combat the problem.

"We are getting loved to death," said Peter McCarthy, unit coordinator for Sandy Hook. "We are having a problem with keeping up with the garbage."

Sandy Hook, which draws 2 million visitors annually, is one of several beaches that have had to review their garbage cleanup and disposal plans this summer to come up with new ideas on how to keep the beaches litter-free while educating the public about the issue. On Memorial Day weekend, Wildwood and other beaches lamented the piles of trash left behind.

A federal park, Sandy Hook has had a carry-in/carry-out policy since 1998. In that time, the park has not provided trash receptacles or Dumpsters and patrons were responsible for taking their trash home. The policy had worked relatively well until this year, McCarthy said.

This summer, trash has been piling up inside and outside the park's restrooms and litter has been left behind on the beach and in the vegetation.

"We have a large contingent of people who ignore the carry-in/carry-out policy," McCarthy said.

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As part of a pilot program for the rest of the summer, the park service placed Dumpsters at three of Sandy Hook's five beach centers - Area E, Area D and Gunnison Beach, McCarthy said.

He said park officials are trying to figure out how to make improvements - but that won't involve repealing the carry-in/carry-out policy, he said.

"We're going to try to fix it," he said.

He said that doesn't necessarily mean increased patrols.

"It's education more than anything else," McCarthy said.

At Jenkinson's Beach in Point Pleasant Beach, the increased litter problem has been especially noticeable on weekends and holidays when the crowds are the largest, said Jenkinson's spokeswoman Toby Wolf.

She said the beach has placed more trash cans on the sand, but still not everyone is using them.

"It still is a very frustrating thing that people aren't using the receptacles we leave out for them," Wolf said. "So we had to make rule changes to help combat it."

Because the litter problem seems to be rampant after badge checkers leave for the day, Wolf said, Jenkinson's now will allow only those with a season badge or a daily beach wristband to bring outside food or drinks onto the beach on weekends and holidays.

This summer, Manasquan joined forces with the non-profit group Manasquan Boardriders Club to implement a public awareness campaign. The borough's beach trash cans now sport designs reminding patrons to "leave only your footprints." Signs at the beach entrances convey the same message.

Robert Duerr, president of the club, said the program is expecially needed during the off-season when trash cans are removed or scarce.

The Leave Only Your Footprint program was conceived as an advocacy program to drive the public consciousness toward adopting a stewardship profile and address the current 'disposable' mindset of the general public from 'let the beach crews pick it up' to being proactive in cleaning up after themselves and reminding others to do the same," Duerr said.

He said the club aims to expand the program into other beach towns and to ensure that trash cans are accessible at beach entrances year-round.