Local advocates, beach program manager urge fewer straws, no balloons and cleaner beaches

Community advocates and a state beach official used a public comment period to press for simple changes to reduce litter on New Jersey shorelines.

Sher Shiff, identified in the record as New Jersey beach program manager, urged residents and visitors not to leave cigarette butts on beaches and recommended using bubbles instead of balloons when celebrating to avoid marine litter. Shiff said these small actions help "keep our beaches clean" and called for support for local community efforts to reduce waste.

Britney Addon, introduced herself as a representative of Green World and praised efforts "to go green," urging continued public and community support for environmental initiatives. AJ Cuso said they represent groups including Love Blue and the Skip the Straws campaign and said those groups support litter-reduction efforts across New Jersey and encourage people to reduce single-use straws.

Speakers framed their comments as practical, behavior-focused steps rather than regulatory proposals; no formal motions, votes or agency directives were recorded in the transcript. The comments emphasized public education and everyday actions — avoiding single-use plastics, substituting bubbles for balloons, and not discarding cigarette butts on the sand — as ways to reduce pollution and protect shoreline habitats.

The record contains some transcription ambiguities (for example, a reference transcribed as "P communities" that was not defined in the spoken remarks). The speakers and organizations named in the comments are recorded as presented in the transcript; the session did not include formal board action or a recorded response from officials in attendance.