May 25, 2023
By Chloe Sanchez
Staff Writer
If you have been to the Jersey Shore, you have probably noticed a lot of litter.
During two beach sweeps in 2022, volunteers from the organization Clean Ocean Action collected 376,969 pieces of trash from New Jersey beaches. Items commonly collected included candy and food wrappers, cigarette filters and plastic bags, though there were some more unique finds including a stone countertop and silicon breast.
We can all agree that seeing trash in the sand is extremely off-putting. However, there are many other issues that pollution brings to people and the animals that live on the beach and in the water.
Trash degrades and damages the homes of fish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. They can mistake the garbage for food and eat it or get entangled in it, causing injuries or even death. Pollution also degrades the quality of life in coastal communities. It turns away tourists and presents a health threat.
Leaving trash on beaches can release hazardous substances into the ocean and surrounding area. An example of this is a shipwreck that happened at a National Wildlife Refuge in American Samoa in 1993. This left 215 tons of debris behind, causing an overgrowth of cyanobacteria, a bacteria that can cause viruses in people and harm the animals in its environment.
Along with that, microplastics can travel to humans and animals when fish ingest them, and people consume that seafood. This presents huge health issues due to the toxic chemical components microplastics have, which can cause cancer and chronic inflammation.
Also, large amounts of debris can hinder navigational safety by blocking navigational channels, which causes more wrecks to happen at sea and other potential harm to people who travel. Debris also reduces commercial and recreational activities.
Trash degrades and damages the homes of fish, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. They can mistake the garbage as food and eat it or get entangled in it, causing injuries or even death.
According to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, $2.5 trillion is lost each year due to marine plastic pollution. Tourists tend to spend less time on beaches due to all the trash. This reduces local jobs at beaches and revenue.
Big fishing companies are also impacted by pollution due to discarded fishing gear that is no longer in a fisherman’s control but is still catching fish. This is considered ghost fishing. This can contaminate fish catches and is extremely expensive to remove.
The only way people can prevent these issues is by changing their mindset. People need to understand the effects of climate change on a local and global scale. They must invest in the prevention and education of marine pollution so more severe problems do not occur in the future.
However, that is much easier said than done, so legislators can take action by adding more penalties for littering. Fines on people who are caught littering are a good way to prevent people from leaving trash on the beach. Also, restricting plastic bags on beaches can help reduce the amount of debris that is found at sea. The implementation of these measures would require hiring workers, which could also strengthen the economy.
Furthermore, beaches need to do their part by making trash disposal and recycling more convenient. This would require adding more garbage and recycling bins and employing staff to empty them regularly.
The environment is too important to ignore, and with summer right around the corner, there has never been a better time to take action to preserve New Jersey’s coastline.
