Thousands volunteer for Beach Sweeps along the Shore

The 30th annual Fall Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweeps drew 3,000 volunteers to Jersey Shore beaches to pick up hundreds of pieces of trash and debris.

From Sandy Hook to Cape May, Individuals and teams of volunteers gave up their morning to help Clean Ocean Action analyze the debris for their annual report to identify pollution problems in hopes of getting stricter enforcement of existing laws to protect the marine environment and

“The marine life this past summer was spectacular—whales, belugas, dolphins, great whites, and more—all cruised by the coast. They are extremely vulnerable to marine debris through ingestion and entanglement," said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. "Through the Beach Sweeps, volunteers are giving back to the ocean and they are also the reason why the Beach Sweeps has been a success for the past 30 years.

Beach Sweep volunteers picked up 5846 plastic pieces, 5324 food/candy wrappers, 4785 caps/lids, 2206 straws/stirrers, 1879 cigarette filters, and 1047 plastic beverage/soda bottles at just Sandy Hook according to a news release from Clean Ocean Action.

Among the more unusual items found on Saturday:paint brush, nylon netting, fence, pacifier, floss, hair roller, and a zip tie.