Environmental nonprofit organization Clean Ocean Action has led its annual beachsweeps for 40 years, removing over 8.9 million pieces of plastic from New Jersey beaches. Last year, volunteers collected 169,756 items, 83% of which were made of plastic. The most common items were discarded plastic items such as barbie dolls, food and candy packaging. The group remains concerned about the continued proliferation of plastic items that continue to litter beaches.