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New Jersey is known for its beautiful, wide variety of beaches. The famous Jersey Shore
is a popular place on the East Coast, and contains miles of sandy beaches. Beaches in North,
Central, and South Jersey include Bradley Beach in Asbury Park, Manasquan Beach, Sandy
Hook, Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Wildwood; just to
name a few. These beaches are spots of recreation for New Jersey residents as well as
vacationers. Although humans rely on beaches and the ocean for recreational use, this is also a
natural habitat to thousands of species of marine life. It is important to maintain the beaches of
the Jersey Shore, and keep them clean. Unfortunately, littering has become a serious issue in the
state of New Jersey. There are different causes of this problem, effects of the problem, and ways
to solve the problem.
There is evidence of littering across the entire state, and there are different causes to this
problem. The first cause is man-made, or in other words, humans are a direct link to the problem.
Humans contribute to the enormous amounts of litter found on beaches each year. The majority
of litter that is found are plastic items. According to the Asbury Park Press, There were 2,900
foam cups, 3,875 plastic utensils and 4,467 glass bottles. The most prevalent piece of trash for
the second year in a row was unidentifiable plastic (Zimmer). These results were recorded in
2015. Thousands of humans are leaving behind thousands of pieces of trash that could very
easily be thrown away into trash/recycle bins. Every beach provides trash/recycle bins to
dispose of waste appropriately, however people continue to litter. The Asbury Park Press also
stated, More than 315,000 pieces of debris were pulled off New Jersey beaches last year,
according to a report the group released during a news conference overlooking the beach on
Sandy Hook (Zimmer). Miles of coastline are becoming human waste dumps due to
carelessness and laziness, according to last years results. Cigarette butts are also commonly

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found on public beaches. A nj.com article claimed, Over the past 19 years, cigarette butts
have always ranked among the top three types of debris collected during Clean Ocean
Actions twice-yearly beach sweeps. But in 2011, they dropped to the fifth spot (Spoto).
Although this was an improvement, cigarette butts were ranked number one again in 2013.
In addition to the man-made aspect of this problem, natural disasters also contribute to
the issue. Hurricane Sandy, the devastating superstorm that ravaged the state of New Jersey,
was an unexpected natural disaster. Mass amounts of litter and debris was the aftermath of the
storm. According to nj.com, The storm ripped houses from foundations, covered some roads
in waist-high sand and sent the ocean raging all the way to the bay on this popular Ocean
County vacation destination known to locals as LBI (Hutchins). The author also stated, The
first floors of hundreds of beach houses, designed to break away in a major storm surge, did
just that. Trees were uprooted, some older houses snapped in half and boats were moved
hundreds of feet, deposited in the middle of roads (Hutchins). The statements from this
article specifically relate to LBI, however there was chaos and destruction all over the entire
state. New Jersey needed to be cleaned/repaired. Although natural disasters are out of human
control, it is important to come together as a community and help one another recuperate fr om
a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy.
Unfortunately, litter on beaches essentially ends up in the ocean. Debris depositing
into the ocean is inevitable when a natural disaster occurs, and when humans do not properly
dispose of waste. There will definitely be effects of this problem on humans and marine life if
beaches continue to be contaminated. This will affect the entire world considering more than
seventy percent of our planet is water. In other words, oceans dominate the planet. According
to National Geographic, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific trash

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vortex, spans waters from the West Coast of North America to Japan (National Geographic).
Also, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific
Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water
(National Geographic). New Jersey is not the only state that litters. In fact, other states, as well as
other countries are contributing to this Pacific trash vortex. Additionally, National Geographic
stated, The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch accumulates because much of it
is not biodegradable. Many plastics, for instance, do not wear down; they simply break into tinier
and tinier pieces (National Geographic). Because the debris cannot biodegrade, many animals
are at risk. Marine life often consume the debris or become tangled the debris. (Fishing line/nets)
This is extremely dangerous for animals because many species are dying off due to human
actions. Humans do not realize how many populations in the ocean are being
disrupted/destroyed. If beaches continue to be contaminated, humans will no longer be able to
use beaches for recreation.
Moreover, there are ways to solve this problem. As far as the Pacific Garbage Patch,
there is not much humans can do to fix this problem, however humans can prevent the vortex
from becoming worse. National Geographic claimed, Because the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
is so far from any countrys coastline, no nation will take responsibility or provide the funding to
clean it up (National Geographic). Additionally, in the state of New Jersey people who are
caught littering can face minor penalties and can be fined. Also, there are laws pertaining to
smoking on public beaches in New Jersey. It is prohibited on most beaches, however there were
bills proposing specific smoking sections on beaches. According to nj.com, Smoking would be
prohibited at state parks and state beaches, according to the bill, sponsored by Sen. Shirley
Turner. Offenders would face a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000

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for additional offense (Livio). This law would definitely reduce the amount of cigarette butts
found each year on beaches of the Jersey Shore. The author also claimed, It positions New
Jersey to be the first state in the United States to require that all state, county and local parks,
recreational areas and beaches be 100% smoke free (Livio). Hopefully other states will
follow in New Jerseys footsteps.
Furthermore, New Jersey was given money to help restore the shore after Hurricane
Sandy. According to nj.com, Calling the distribution of funds for anti-litter efforts more
important than ever after Hurricane Sandy, state officials announced today they were
awarding $18.3 million in Clean Communities grants (ONeill). This money given to the
state was certainly going to a good cause; to prove that New Jersey was stronger than the
storm. The author also stated, The money benefits efforts to remove litter through the
cleanup of storm water systems, rivers, bays and beaches as well as volunteer cleanups of
public property, among other initiatives (ONeill). Counties all over the state were receiving
money to return things back to normal.
On the other hand, Clean Ocean Action has an enormous impact on our state. Every
year, this environmental group organizes beach sweeps. Thousands of pieces of debris are
picked up by volunteers each year during these annual beach sweeps. According to Clean
Ocean Action, their mission statement claims, Our goal is to improve the degraded water
quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast (Clean Ocean Action).
Also, According to Green Eco Services, The New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCC)
announces the launching of its statewide public education anti-litter campaign Slam Dunk the
Junk. The campaign is aimed at New Jersey residents and visitors, encouraging them to keep
New Jersey clean and green through individual and group activities (Cathy). This is now New

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Jerseys litter slogan, and multiple groups/organizations are taking action and coming up with
ways to solve this issue.
Lastly, individuals can help make a difference and help stop this problem. Volunteers
are always needed to help out with events hosted by organizations/groups such as the NJCC
and Clean Ocean Action. Also, individuals can dispose waste appropriately by using the
trash/recycle bins on beaches. An individual can become educated on this issue and also help
educate others. The most important thing is to personally get involved, and encourage others
to become involved as well. One individual can make a small change, however multiple
individuals together can make an impact on the environment.
In conclusion, thousands of pieces of debris are found on public beaches in New Jersey
each year. Humans can help reduce this statistic. As a resident of Long Beach Island, I enjoy
going to the beach, and I have never littered. I always throw away my garbage in the
designated trash/recycle bins because I enjoy keeping my local beach clean. Many families
were affected by Hurricane Sandy a few years ago, including my own family. It was truly
devastating to have a natural disaster occur in my own home town/state. It was amazing to see
everyone come together and help repair/rebuild everything. Things have not been the same on
LBI since Hurricane Sandy, however we have definitely recovered from the tragic storm.
Even though humans cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring, we can prevent the
man-made (our own) contribution to the problem. There are many different ways to become
involved, such as participating in beach sweeps, throwing trash away in designated areas, and
not smoking/disposing of cigarettes on public beaches. It is crucial that this problem is solved
so our beaches, oceans, and our planet is a clean, safe place to live for ourselves and for
marine life.

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Works Cited

Cathy. "Slam Dunk the Junk-New Jersey's Litter Slogan." Green Eco Services. N.p., 09 June 2009.
Web. 29 Mar. 2016. <http://www.greenecoservices.com/slam-dunk-the-junk-newjersey%E2%80%99s-litter-slogan/>.
"Clean Ocean Action: About COA." Clean Ocean Action: About COA. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.cleanoceanaction.org/index.php?id=2>.
"Great Pacific Garbage Patch." National Geographic Education. N.p., 19 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Mar.
2016. <http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/>.
Hutchins, Ryan. "Long Beach Island Officials Shocked at Extent of Damage from Hurricane
Sandy." Www.nj.com. N.p., 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/10/lbi_hurricane_sandy_damage.html>.
Livio, Susan. "UPDATED: Bill That Bans Smoking in NJ Parks and Limits Smoking on Beaches
Passes Legislature." Www.nj.com. N.p., 16 June 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/06/bill_banning_smoking_in_nj_parks_and_limits_s
moking_on_beaches_passes_senate.html>.
"N.J. Beachgoers Leave Trash behind." Www.nj.com. N.p., 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/nj_beachgoers_leave_nearly_a_h.html>.
O'Neill, Erin. "State Awards $18.3 Million in Grants for Anti-litter Programs." Www.nj.com. N.p., 08
May 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/clean_communities_grants_litte.html>.
Spoto, MaryAnn. "Cigarette Butts Top List of Litter on N.J. Beaches, Report Says." Www.nj.com. N.p.,
16 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2013/04/cigarette_butts_again_the_most_litter_of_nj_
beaches_report_says.html>.

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Zimmer, Russ. "What Weird Stuff Was Found on NJ Beaches Last Year?" Asbury Park Press. N.p., 13
Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. <http://www.app.com/story/news/local/landenvironment/2015/04/13/clean-ocean-action-beach-sweep/25717663/>.