Matawan Teenagers Remove Trash From NJ Beaches

MATAWAN, NJ — These Matawan middle- and high-schoolers donated several hours of their time on Saturday in the annual fall "Beach Sweep."

Organized by Clean Ocean Action, thousands of volunteers gathered at 83 locations across the state to clean up New Jersey's beaches, bays, creeks and streams.

The Matawan teenagers removed debris and trash from Cliffwood Beach.

The statewide beach clean-up is now in its 39th year. Hundreds of volunteers signed up this year, from Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Cub and Brownie troops, high school students, sports teams, religious groups and corporate teams.

Volunteers met on beaches/waterways ranging from Essex County to Cape May. A week before the clean-up, remnants of Hurricane Milton brought rain and wind to New Jersey, unfortunately adding even more trash and debris to be removed.

Union Beach joined the list of sites again after a few seasons off due to construction. Longtime Union Beach resident, environmentalist and avid boater Betty Jean Downing had sweeping success as the new Beach Captain for this site.

"Fall Sweeps 2024 will go down in history!" said Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action director. "Mother Nature shined brightly on the day with stellar weather; there was a record number of Sweep sites and fantastic youth engagement!"