Volunteers in Ventnor, Margate and Longport will head to the beaches 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 1 to clear the beaches of trash and debris before the summer season. The goal of the semi-annual Beach Sweep is to reduce and eliminate sources of litter than can be harmful to marine life.
Longport Borough/Volunteers get to areas where beach rakes can’t.
The event is open to volunteers of all ages and meant to raise awareness of the negative impacts of litter on wildlife and the ocean.
Volunteers will collect trash and record information about items collected in an effort to monitor sources of pollution. The data cards volunteers fill out during their cleanup will be compiled into a database of information that is shared with local, state and federal authorities to pass laws that protect the environment.
Steve Jasiecki/Margate Beach Sweep 2019.
Beach captains will provide gloves, trash bags, and data cards for the volunteers who register in advance at the Clean Ocean Action website. Volunteers are asked to wear comfortable, sturdy shoes and dress according to the weather. Bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own bucket to reduce the number of plastic trash bags used.
Meet up at the following locations:
- Longport – Longport Beach Patrol 33rd and Atlantic avenues
- Margate – Beach at Granville Avenue
- Ventnor – Newport Avenue Beach, 6500 Atlantic Ave.
Register in advance at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwkNCtqNOhurgHBACxcHHyft5LKqWvHY7hjrkRFLA1ZHyVig/viewform
The first Clean Ocean Action Beach sweep was held 1985 in Sandy Hook with just 75 volunteers. Since then, it has grown to more than 73 towns and 5,000 participants.
