This story is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. Link to FULL story: patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/more-1-100-face-masks-plastic-gloves-littering-nj-beaches

Everyone wants to continue to stay protected from COVID. But try not to litter New Jersey’s beaches with face masks and other personal protective gear, especially as summer is right around the corner.

That’s the message from Clean Ocean Action, which just published the results of their 2020 Beach Sweep, a beach clean-up done along the entire New Jersey coastline in the fall of 2020.

In that clean-up, volunteers picked up 1,113 pieces of PPE littering New Jersey beaches, mostly in the form of face masks, disposable plastic gloves and sanitary wipes.

“The world is facing an environmental health risk caused by littering of personal protective equipment (PPE),” warned Clean Ocean Action in their report. “New Jersey towns and municipalities are witnessing increased dumping and littering of used masks and disposable gloves.”