LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — What do a set of braces, a glow-in-the-dark condom, a plastic monkey and half a bowling ball have in common?
They all were among items plucked from the sands of the Jersey Shore last year by volunteers doing beach cleanups for the Clean Ocean Action environmental group.
More than 10,000 participants collected over a half-million items last spring and fall; that's a new record. And some of it was just head-scratching, if not stomach-turning.
Plastic items dominated, but weird stuff including male enhancement pills, a hunk of hair, a full set of dentures and a fake eyeball turned up as well.
Fewer face masks were found in fall as compared to spring, but over 3,600 discarded masks were left behind or washed up on the sand.
Want more weirdness? There also was part of a bowling ball; a rainbow-striped women’s bathing suit; a highway traffic cone; part of a car windshield; a check for $1; and a CD holder filled with albums by Limp Bizkit.
This year's spring beach sweeps will take place April 9 all along the Jersey Shore.
