I spent this past Saturday morning with 2 fellow Surfrider members and friends cleaning up a few bags of recyclables and garbage off a local NJ beach in the rain. ?¢‚Ǩ?ìNothing like sorting garbage in the rain?¢‚Ǩ? as Longboard Joe put it.

I could think of at least one or two things. Like maybe picking up garbage off the beach in the sunshine, or building a sandcastle. But it is nice to get the debris off our playground.

In 45 minutes I picked up 40 plastic bottles, 40 straws, 2 pieces of net, a fertilizer bag, a shoe, a sandle, a few glass bottles, close to a bazillion plastic caps, the token out of-the-wrapper and possibly used (Yes gross, very gross) condom and cigarette butts among other items that didn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t quite make it into the garbage can the first time around.

This doesn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t include what my 2 other comrades in crap picked up. Or the other volunteers around the state as this was a statewide event.

Clean Ocean Action is the local sponsor in NJ who tallies every bit of trash with the help of volunteers of course. They then roll up their data and give it to The Ocean Conservancy who reports on data from around the globe to show us just how much garbage was picked up off of our beaches, rivers and streams.

If it sounds like fun, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not really. But it is enlightening and makes you think a little more about the disposable society that we live in. Do you really need to get that bottled water at the 7-11? Or can you fill up a bottle you bought at EMS with filtered water from your kitchen? That would help eliminate a plastic bottle or 2.

The pictures:

• Whitey and Longboard Joe count the goods.
• Water bottle with barnacles growing on it. How nature adapts to our garbage.