Syringes once again wash ashore on some N.J. beaches

Medical waste has once again washed ashore on some New Jersey beaches. 

A syringe found on a Monmouth County beach last month. (Photo: Robert Siliato)

A syringe found on a Monmouth County beach last month. (Photo: Robert Siliato)

Medical waste has once again washed ashore on some New Jersey beaches.

Officials say more than two dozen syringes were discovered and collected Tuesday in Ocean County’s Mantoloking, News 12 reported.

Area residents say an unusual amount of plastic and other materials were also found on Tuesday, a common result of onshore winds pushing offshore material ashore.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna said his agency is receiving reports of “sporadic wash-ups of trash.”

“The northern extent appears to be Lavallette. The southern extent appears to be Berkeley Township. We are looking into an unconfirmed report in Belmar,” he said.

Hajna said the trash is the type that is typically found in combined sewer system overflows.

“There was heavy rain in the New York/northern New Jersey area over the weekend, which would carry these materials into New York Harbor and out of Raritan Bay,” he said. “There was a shift in ocean currents to the south, coupled with an onshore breeze that pushed some trash onto beaches.”

The spokesman said no beaches are closed due to the wash-ups, and offshore winds blowing today “should mitigate any future impacts.”

Syringes used by diabetic patients and various types of plastic were discovered last month along some beaches between Monmouth County’s Monmouth Beach and Asbury Park.

At the time, Hajna pinned the incident on combined sewer system overflows north of the Jersey Shore.

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