Group reports record trash haul from NJ beaches

[April 20, 2011]  SANDY HOOK, N.J. (AP) -- A record amount of trash was picked up along New Jersey beaches last year, including a kitchen sink.

Clean Ocean Action has been doing beach sweeps for 25 years and says in a report to be released Tuesday that more than 475,000 pieces of litter were removed from the shoreline last year.

They included a bag of heroin, a 10-gallon gas tank, five pairs of underwear, a duck caller and a plastic cow, in addition to the sink.

There also were four televisions, a plastic Easter egg with $3 in it, a fire extinguisher, a toilet seat lid and an MP3 player.

Also found were 84 whole tires, nearly 1,400 aerosol cans and more than 1,300 strands of fishing line, which can kill sea life that gets tangled in it.

[Associated Press; By WAYNE PARRY]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.