Throughout April, Earth seems to be on everyone’s minds. Our planet. Our home. Earth Day, April 22, has reminded us for 56 years that we all live on one planet, and we need to take care of it. There is only one planet Earth, and there is no “Planet B.”
There is also only one Barnegat Bay. The Barnegat Bay, loved by locals and tourists alike, serves as both an essential wildlife refuge and an immense recreational hub. The Barnegat Bay Watershed includes part of the globally recognized Pine Barrens ecosystem. What do you see when you look at the bay: glistening water, squawking seagulls, and scurrying ghost crabs? What about litter?
Sometimes it’s hard to remember, but all water is connected. When it rains, water flows over land and roads and trickles into storm drains, rivers, and streams. Trash travels through the same storm drains into local streams, rivers, and eventually into the bay and the ocean.
A Community Coming Together
For 15 years, the Barnegat Bay Blitz has brought the community together and reminded us to look around. Sometimes, it is easy to overlook small pieces of plastic on the beach. But once you start to notice litter, it’s easy to see it everywhere.
This past April, 795 volunteers came together to make a difference during the Barnegat Bay Blitz, which ran from April 11 through April 26. Led by 44 dedicated team captains, groups tackled a total of 55 clean-ups in the Barnegat Bay Watershed across 24 municipalities. The total amount of litter removed was 17,324.9 lbs. (8.66 tons). You can find a list of data on our website.
Tackling Tough Cleanup Tasks
While most of the litter included plastic bottles, candy wrappers, and takeout containers, indicative of litter thrown from vehicles or blown away from residential household bins, there were also some unusual and interesting finds.
Surprising finds included an entire piano in Waretown, porcelain toilet bowls in Toms River and Waretown, a vintage army figurine in High Bar Harbor, and Christmas decorations in Lavallette and Stafford. Volunteers removed boat cushions and shotgun shells in Loveladies.
Blitz volunteers also faced difficult hauling tasks at several secluded locations where industrial and residential renovations were illegally dumped. 143 plastic plant pots were recovered from the Freehold location, and multiple bicycles, milk crates, chairs, and mailbox posts were found across sites. In Ship Bottom, a massive section of a floating boat dock, along with 2 large dock poles, was removed. Dumped floor tiles were removed from Eagleswood, and a granite countertop was removed from Wall Township.
Key Takeaways for a Cleaner Bay
Some key takeaways from this year’s Blitz: Small actions make an immense difference. Take extra care to make sure your candy wrappers don’t fly out of your car window. Make sure your holiday decorations are secure in high winds. If you don’t want a piano anymore, consider donating it instead of putting it in the woods. If you are unsure how to recycle or dispose of something, check out Ocean County Clean Communities’ amazing recycling guide.
And remember, keep looking around. Think of the fish swimming safely below the glistening water’s surface. Notice the seagulls who won’t be eating those tiny pieces of plastic removed during the Blitz. And watch the ghost crabs scurrying, not on litter, but simply on soft sand.
A big thanks to our partners at Ocean County Clean Communities and the NJDEP for their assistance in coordinating this effort!
