Monmouth County Environmental Newsletter: September Edition

Monmouth County, New Jersey sent this bulletin at 08/30/2019 08:00 AM EDT
Zinnias

Zinnias bloom at the Deep Cut Gardens Rose Parterre in Middletown. Source: Amber Mallm 

Monmouth County Seal 2018

Monmouth County Environmental Newsletter:  September 2019

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Clean Ocean Action Marine Debris

Plastics wash ashore on our coast. Learn about efforts to reduce plastic pollution at the Fall Monmouth County Environmental Council roundtable. Photo source: Clean Ocean Action

Save the Date: The Problem with Plastics Roundtable

This fall, the Monmouth County Environmental Council is holding a roundtable event titled: The Problem with Plastics, on Tuesday, October 29 at the Agricultural Building, 4000 Kozloski Rd, in Freehold. 

The program will provide insight into local research on  plastic pollution, explain where our recycling goes after it leaves the curb, why only certain plastics can be recycled and much more. The Council also invites municipalities, environmental commissions and green teams to highlight how they have reduced plastics in a tabling session prior to the lecture. If you would like to share your municipality's  achievements in reducing plastic such as bans on plastics bags, straws or balloon releases, contact Amber Mallm at amber.mallm@co.monmouth.nj.us or at 732-431-7460 ext. 7473.

Upcoming Environmental & Outdoor Events in Monmouth County:

Some activities require registration and/or fees:

 
Volunteers Clean Up

Survey attributes reduction in litter to programs like Clean Communities. Volunteers clean-up litter in Matawan with help of Monmouth County Clean Communities. Photo source: Amber Mallm.

Monmouth County Holds Second Highest Litter Reduction Rate in the State

The 2018 New Jersey Litter Survey, conducted by Environmental Resource Planning LLC for the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, evaluated changes in litter across the state by monitoring sites in 2004 and again 2017. The data from eight sites in Monmouth County revealed litter was reduced by 78%, making it the second highest litter reduction rate when compared to the 21 counties in the State. Overall, litter was reduced by 53% in New Jersey; however the study found the percentage of recyclable litter has increased over time. In 2004, 25.5% of litter found was recyclable; however in 2017, 28.9% of all litter was recyclable.  These items include beverage containers, business papers and boxes. Furthermore in 2017, 39% of all litter was plastic. 

The report claimed that the overall litter reduction may be a result of Statewide programming including Clean Communities. Monmouth County Clean Communities performs regular clean-ups along roadways and will provide free assistance to organizations scheduling their own clean-up. To schedule a clean-up, just pick an accessible location in need, contact Clean Communities, and they will bring a truck, trash bags, gloves and safety vests and haul away the trash for free. Learn more about Monmouth County Clean Communities here.

National Geographic Features Clean Ocean Action

Below: Clean Ocean Action Executive Director, Cindy Zipf, displays some of the litter found during the organization's Beach Sweeps. Photo source: Clean Ocean Action

COA Beach Sweep Cindy Zipf

National Geographic is examining the impacts of plastic pollution in its online series, “The Story of Plastic.” The recent video and article focuses on cigarette filter pollution and includes an interview with the Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action (COA), Cindy Zipf. In the piece, Ms. Zipf calls flicking cigarette butts the last socially acceptable form of littering. Litterers may not realize that the filter in a cigarette butt is made from a plastic called cellulose acetate. The plastic filters eventually end up in rivers and the ocean, where they leach remnants of chemicals from the cigarette into the water, are ingested by animals or break down into micro-plastics.

According to Clean Ocean Actions's 2018 Beach Sweeps Annual Report, 21,998 cigarettes filters were collected along the coast during the organization's biannual clean-up. While the amount of filters collected in 2018 decreased when compared to the amount of filters collected in 2017, cigarette butts are ranked as the sixth most commonly found piece of litter in COA's "dirty dozen." You can help clean up cigarette butts and other pollution along the shore during the COA Fall Beach Sweeps on Saturday, October 26. Learn more about the Beach Sweep locations or register to volunteer. 

Transportation Council Reminds Public to Practice Bike Safety

Whether you are enjoying the last warm days of summer or the first cool days of fall, September is a great time to explore Monmouth County on your bicycle. If you are biking to enjoy the outdoors or to improve your carbon footprint, remember to keep your safety in mind.  The Monmouth County Transportation Council recently released a public service announcement to remind the public to practice bike safety. Listen to the Transportation Council's PSA here. 

For more guidance on using your bicycle in the County, visit the Monmouth County Bike Map. This tool classifies roadways based on a set of bike-friendly criteria, offers safety tips and other information for bike users. In the coming months, users can expect a revised map. To learn more about transportation in the County, visit the Monmouth County Transportation Council webpage.

Parks System Accepting Open Space Grant Applications 

The Monmouth County Park System and the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders are seeking applications from all 53 municipalities for the Monmouth County Municipal Open Space Grant Program to create, expand and improve local open space and parks. The projects are evaluated based on criteria found in the Policy and Procedures Manual. The deadline for submitting a grant application is 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19. Awards will be announced in December. Visit here for more information. 

Sustainable Jersey Green Team Video Contest

Sustainable Jersey is celebrating it's 10th anniversary with its "A Decade of Impact: Green Team Video Contest." All Sustainable Jersey registered green teams and municipalities are invited to submit a short video that highlights the sustainable accomplishments they have achieved while participating in the program. Videos can feature a particular project that was implemented through a Sustainable Jersey grant like a rain garden, bike path, solar installation or charging station, as well as initiatives undertaken to achieve a certain action. Videos must be submitted by Sept. 8. On Sept. 30, the finalists' videos will be shared on the Sustainable Jersey website and the public will vote to determine the winners. The top winner will receive a $1,000 prize. The first and second runners-up will each receive $500 prizes. Learn more about the contest and how to submit a video here.

Students Present Local Research at Urban Coast Institute Summer Research Symposium

Monmouth University's Urban Coast Institute recently held its 2019 Summer Research Program Symposium for students to share their summer research projects. Students reported their findings on a variety of local topics including turtle populations at Lake Takanassee, harmful algal blooms in County water-bodies, fecal indicator bacteria at surfing beaches near stormwater outfalls, endangered bird population monitoring and more.  Visit the Urban Coast Institute blog to view videos of students' poster-session summaries or read abstracts of all the research projects.