An emergency beach cleanup Sunday in Deal (Roosevelt Ave.) after needles and other debris washed ashore last week collected about 100 pounds of rubbish, most of it plastic.
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A small group of volunteers spent about two hours Sunday morning bagging trash at a couple of beaches in Deal off Roosevelt Avenue. Two Deal police officers also pitched in as the volunteers scooped up countless numbers of plastic straws, cups, bottles and lids off the sand and dunes.
Although officials didn't know for sure, the source of the debris is believed to be the combined sewer discharge from the New York Harbor area following last week's heavy rain.
The trash that the Surfrider's picked up Sunday was almost all single-use plastic — "no syringes luckily," said Mike Castellano, the group's beach cleanup coordinator.
Castellano noted that most of the trash seemed to be concentrated in Deal, but not making its way further south toward Bradley Beach, Avon or Belmar or toward Asbury Park, leading him to believe it must be as a result of run-off from a particular spot.
Both ends of the beach in Deal were equally dirty, Castellano noted.
"It's not big, bulk (trash) but the stuff we picked up is very detrimental — it's what the fish are eating."
Dedicated to the protection of the world's beaches and oceans, the Jersey Shore chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is one of 80 worldwide. The organization has about 50,000 volunteers.
All Jersey Shore beaches remained open Monday, though rainy weather and a high risk of rip currents likely kept the crowds away.
EDIT: Please accept our apologies for the misleading information that appeared in recent headlines. During a closer examination and thorough weigh in, we found that the information we provided was not accurate. We collected and removed approx. 100 pounds of debris from the beaches of Deal, not 200 pounds as previously stated. Although the debris we removed is extremely significant, taking credit for trash that was never removed does not contribute to the solution. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us remove this 100 pounds. Surfrider stays true to its mission and continues to strive for cleaner beaches. Please join us for another cleanup in August as we continue to combat this global pollution crisis.
