Asbury Park May Ban Smoking On Beach

Asbury Park officials are considering a plan to ban smoking on the town’s public beaches, according to reports.

The plan was recently introduced after an increasing number of complaints from beachgoers, according to News12.

“We want to make the beaches fun, safe and family-friendly,” Asbury Park director of communications Sonia Spina, told News12. “Plus cigarette butts produce a lot of litter on our beaches and end up in our ocean, which we want to avoid.”

Officials say that they do not know if the ban would extend to the boardwalk, according to the reports. Belmar and Spring Lake officials have already banned smoking on their beaches.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra club, told The Asbury Park Press that he applauded the move. "People are just turning the beach into an ash tray," Tittel said.

"When we do our beach cleanups we clean up thousands of cigarettes on just one little patch of beach sometimes," Tittel told the publication. The video above details the problem of trash on the beach.

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