Clean Ocean Action reveals the results of its 2016 beach sweeps
SANDY HOOK -- Plastic wasn't the only thing littering New Jersey's beaches last year. But it continued to be the most prevalent type of waste collected by thousands of volunteers during two major sweeps along the coastline, an environmental report concluded.
Counted among the odd debris picked up during the spring and fall sweeps sponsored by Clean Ocean Action were a bicycle tire, two skateboards, a toilet seat and a bar of soap.
A volunteer holds a piece of plastic collected during one of Clean Ocean Action's two beach sweeps. (Photo provided by Clean Ocean Action) Picked up by the volunteers were a pink flamingo, decorated Christmas trees, a car door and a computer monitor. If you lost your cell phone on one of New Jersey's beaches, one of these volunteers probably found it.
It is from that "Roster of the Ridiculous" in its annual report that Clean Ocean Action has sought to make its point for the past 31 years: that litter - in whatever shape or size - poses a real risk to the environment.
"The annual report is always full of surprises," said Kari Martin, long-time beach captain, former statewide coordinator and current COA board member. "While some of these are kind of fun to laugh at, it really is telling that you could really find most anything at our beach sweeps."
Everything and the kitchen sink found on beaches
Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, said her organization uses that data to fight for laws protecting the environment and aimed at reducing the sources of litter.
Plastics continue to be of the most abundance, the report said. Of the 218,807 items collected in the spring and fall sweeps last year, 81.13 percent were made of plastic.
That's up from the previous year's 70.78 percent.
And the biggest problem are plastic pieces and caps and lids, the report notes. That's followed by candy and food wrappers or bags and cigarette filters.
Cigarette filters remained the fourth highest type of plastics found on the beaches, which to Martin and Zipf was frustrating.
Martin said that while some Shore towns in New Jersey have prohibited smoking on beaches, "there's room for many more smoking bans on beaches."
"We still have a problem and that needs to be addressed," she said.
A volunteer helping at one of Clean Ocean Action's beach sweeps in 2013. (Star-Ledger file photo) The 2016 sweeps yielded much less debris than the previous year - not because there were fewer items to pick up, but because there were fewer volunteers, Zipf said.
She said the fall beach sweep was held on a rainy blustery day that discouraged many from participating.
"The beach debris is not only ugly but it's also harmful and lethal to marine life," she said.
The first beach sweep for 2017 is scheduled for Saturday at more than 60 locations along the Jersey Shore. Specific sites can be found at CleanOceanAction.org.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.