Burlington Island Cleanup Continues Throughout Summer

BURLINGTON ISLAND, N.J. —Its 400 acres sits in the middle between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a stone's throw from Bristol Borough.

This uninhabited with its four miles of shoreline has a history dating back to settlements by the indigenous peoples of the area and later, as an active river trading post.

It's also a place where members of the Yardley-based nonprofit Spearhead Project Earth come each week to clean up waste.

With the program past its halfway point, cleanup efforts have gone beyond two tons of plastic waste to date.

"We are determined to act together to restore the integrity and beauty of this landmark site for all of us who value the Delaware River, Burlington Island, and our responsibility to preserve international waterways," said Robert Catalano, chief innovation officer and co-founder of The Spearhead Group.

The Spearhead Group is a global packaging and innovation company that last year launched the independent non-profit foundation Spearhead Project Earth to align with the company's long-term sustainability commitment.

Spearhead Project Earth and its student volunteers conduct cleanups of the island to ensure that Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s waterways are clean of plastic waste — an increasingly critical initiative with the impact of mounting climate change.

It's the organization's first clean-up project.

The project focuses on reducing the negative impact of single-use plastics in rivers, oceans, and waterways, a goal that The Spearhead Group is also committed to in its global business practice. Organizers said that plastic items trapped on island shores can easily reach the Atlantic Ocean.

"The Burlington Island clean-up encompasses waste removal from the surface of the uninhabited island," Catalano said. "As a first phase, Spearhead Project Earth has partnered with local government authorities and native peoples to create an action plan to restore Burlington Island's legacy, including community education initiatives that focus on reducing the negative impact of microplastics."

The organization is supported 100 percent by The Spearhead Group.

"At The Spearhead Group we believe that reducing plastic from packaging design and production is a core value," Catalano said. "In keeping with our corporate mission, we feel there is much more we can do to remove consumer plastics from our waterways while driving education efforts with lasting impact on our environment."

(Google Maps) Burlington Island sits between New Jersey and Pennsylvania and is near Bristol Borough.