OCEAN GATE – How many times have you gone for a walk around the neighborhood and seen some garbage on the side of the road? A local man decided to do something about it.
Jack Andolsen picked up 500 pounds of trash around Ocean Gate, and was recognized for this feat by the Borough Council.
He said he enjoys going on walks and looking at the scenery. But there was often some bit of garbage that he’d see as well. He got the idea to bag it up and take it away. The entire process took from June to October.
“It was one of those 3 a.m. thoughts, like ‘I’m going to go to the gym tomorrow,’ but I actually did it,” he said.
Saying “500 pounds” doesn’t tell the whole story. Plastic bottles weigh less than glass, for example. On the beach, a lot of the litter has been broken down by the wind and the waves so the pieces are much smaller.
In some cases, nature tried to claim the garbage. (Photo courtesy Jack Andolsen)
“You could spend four hours picking things up and only get seven pounds,” he explained.
The biggest culprits were symptoms of our need for convenience. He saw lots of bottles, fast food containers, straws, and COVID masks.
“People don’t think about what they’re doing to the environment,” he said. “Neighbors aren’t thinking about their actions.”
Another big contributor was Newport cigarettes. He feels like he must have found at least 100 packs of them.
Those were just the items he wanted to mention in this interview. There were other items too gross to mention. It’s important to note here that he wore gloves.
“I put on earbuds and it’s relaxing,” he said. “It’s kind of like painting for me now.”
Photo courtesy Jack Andolsen
One particular dirt road was a treasure trove of trash, if such a thing is possible. He estimates that 350 pounds of that total was found there.
“I’ve lived in this area all my life. I love Ocean Gate,” he said.
He has been sharing some of the photos on an Instagram account called @Jackpicksuptrash. Some of the photos show how nature has started wrapping itself around the trash.
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