At Sandy Hook, volunteers take part in 2021 Beach Sweep organized by Clean Ocean Action. (Current Media Company)

Volunteers cleaning New Jersey beaches last year found disposable face masks, a full set of dentures and dental floss picks among the half-million pieces of trash they collected, with nearly all of it plastic.

Clean Ocean Action’s (COA) Beach Sweeps went to about 70 sites to both clean up the beaches and to learn about how that litter endangers wildlife.

Clean Ocean Action says waste, trash and litter find their way into waterways and are harmful to animals that mistake them for food. Others become entangled in the waste. Litter left on land is either blown by the wind or carried by stormwater where it flows into the sea and washes up on beaches.

Data from its Beach Sweeps was instrumental, the group said, in getting New Jersey’s law passed that bans single-use plastic. As of Nov. 4,  New Jersey businesses are not allowed to give customers single-use plastic straws unless customers request them. Beginning May 4, plastic bags and Styrofoam containers will also be banned.

(Maria Mustascio Photography)

In the 2021 Beach Sweeps — which took place over six hours in April and October — more than 10,000 volunteers removed a record 513,605 items along the Jersey Shore as well as along the Delaware River and in northern New Jersey, the group said. The spring 2022 beach sweeps will take place on April 9.

Among the most common pieces of garbage found were items made of plastic, and the group reported finding personal protective equipment for the first time on beaches in its count. Items like masks and gloves made it to the “ocean offenders” list for the first time.