Let's start out by saying that I'm a lifelong resident at the Jersey Shore. I grew up along the coast in Ocean County and now reside in Monmouth County.
I've also vacationed at different parts of the Shore. Although I grew up and still live in the central to northern parts of the region, South Jersey is still an ideal place for a vacation or weekend getaway.
And the regions couldn't be any different, both from crowds and settings. But there is one big difference I have noticed about southern Jersey beaches compared to northern ones.
Is it just me, or do our southern beaches seem to be much cleaner when compared to those toward the north? More specifically, the dunes.
My family and I were on a trip over the summer to Pier Village in Long Branch. If you haven't been there in awhile it's certainly worth a visit. They've really made that area really nice.
So what I'm about to mention is no reflection on Pier Village itself. Rather, it's on those who visit who have no regard to helping keep our beaches and dunes clean.
More specifically, our summer crowds. And yes, that includes the summer of 2025.
It's not just Long Branch beaches that have this problem. This seems to be a constant issue even as far north as Sandy Hook.
And I'm not talking along the coast where the water meets the sand. I'm talking about where the boardwalk or walkway meets the dunes.
It's simply ridiculous that people feel the need to throw their trash into the dunes. Just check out the photos below highlighting this problem.
Right above is an access point onto the beach. To note, the beach itself wasn't too bad in this area.
The dunes are where the issues were. Not just here, but also up along the boardwalk.
Paper cups, aluminum cans, food cartons, and so much more. It's pretty clear why a lot of this garbage is here.
When the person was done with their food or drink, it was simpler to just toss the garbage over the side instead of bringing it to a trash can.
Even more litter. It was really disheartening to see this. Again, this seems to be a bigger issue with visitors to our northern Shore beaches than our south.
Although to be fair, since I don't live in the southern part of the state, I can't 100% say for sure their beaches also deal with this. I just know when we head to the southern Shore for vacation and weekend escapes, it doesn't typically seem as bad.
Either way, even a little bit of garbage is still too much. Perhaps we need to step up enforcement for those who throw their trash in the dunes.
Keeping the beaches and dunes clean is part of the reason why they claim we have to purchase beach badges in the summer. The idea is that the revenue is needed to pay the staff and for the equipment used to help keep the beaches clean.
In my opinion, I sometimes find it hard to believe that since other beaches seem to be much cleaner and they're free. However, our visitors to the shore help ensure those beach badges not only stick around, but that they go up in price year over year.
Perhaps those individuals feel they can treat the dunes as their own personal trashcan since they have to pay for beach badges. It's sad and maddening, but it's stuff like this that will forever keep the Jersey Shore the only state in the country where you have to pay to use our public beaches.
Now that summer is in the rearview mirror, will the dunes remain clean? Or, will trash continue to be an issue?
Hopefully the former is true since most shore towns quiet down during the fall, winter, and spring. But at the same time, places like Pier Village, where we witnessed this problem, remain a bit busier than most other locations this time of year.
This is why we can't blame just our visitors alone. Sometimes, locals may also contribute to the trash issue.
Beach badges supposedly help mitigate the problem during the summer, but what about the rest of the year? It's an unfortunate issue we live with at the Shore.
The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.