Love Blue highlights local cleanup work and summer schedule to Wildwood Crest commissioners

AJ Caruso, introduced to the Board of Commissioners, presented on Love Blue, a national nonprofit founded in Wildwood Crest that organizes beach and waterway cleanups and related education. Caruso said Love Blue operates more than 80 cleanups annually across multiple states, has removed over 50,000 pounds of trash nationwide, and that the Wildwood chapters have removed roughly 15,000 pounds since 2019 with 6,500 pounds collected through local cleanup stations in five years.

Caruso outlined the summer schedule — weekly Sunday cleanups at 6:00 p.m. and monthly Saturday cleanups — and said Love Blue will provide equipment and refreshments and that volunteers can join without signing up. He described planned projects including a 'trash art' sculpture made from collected plastics, TerraCycle cigarette waste collectors for beaches and an equipment latch pilot to keep trash‑can lids closed during windy conditions. "Love Blue is a national nonprofit based out of Wildwood Crest, and our mission is to mobilize communities to protect our oceans through hands‑on action, leadership development, and education," Caruso said.

Commissioners and the green team discussed coordination with the borough’s Adopt‑A‑Beach program and school groups for educational outreach. Public works staff said installation of a locally produced trash‑art statue is in production and expected to be installed along the bike path near the Arts Pavilion in June, pending concrete work.

Next steps: Love Blue will provide the summer cleanup schedule to borough staff for posting; commissioners expressed support and asked staff to continue coordinating site installation and pilot equipment projects.