A sure sign that Spring has arrived in New Jersey is Clean Ocean Action‘s massive Beach Sweep project that organizes thousands of volunteers in a day of beach cleaning.

The program has grown from 75 people at one site in 1985, to 5,163 volunteers at 115 sites in 2008.  Volunteers gather from Raritan to Delaware Bays and along the ocean to clean beaches and waterways, as well as underwater sites.

Participants join as groups (community, school, business, and organization), families, or individuals. In addition to picking up the stuff that shouldn’t be on anyone’s beach, they also collect and record data about debris, which COA uses in annual reports to advance federal, state, and local programs to reduce litter.

Keeping pace with the times, the event this year has its own Facebook page–a clever bit of social marketing by COA to get its supporters to spread the news far and wide. 

Here’s a list of beach sweep locations. If you’re participating on Saturday (9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)  in a group of 10 or more, use COA’s registration page.

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