8-year-old spends her summer picking up trash on the beach

FORTESCUE, NEW JERSEY (WPVI) -- It's a beautiful day down in Fortescue, New Jersey, with light waves and clear skies, but it's hard for 8-year-old Caitlyn to appreciate the view when her favorite beach is littered with trash.

"Almost like every year or day we come here, there's always glass along the water," she said. So every Monday morning this summer, Caitlyn and her mom have spent a few hours cleaning up from the weekend rush.

"Someone tried to give her money for her efforts and she said she'd rather have them help her clean up trash than take the money," said Crystal Nappa, Caitlyn's mom.

"When we clean up trash, almost all the creatures are going to stop swallowing trash," said Caitlyn.

After filling the bag, the mother-daughter duo goes over to Higbee's Marina to weigh it.

In about an hour, they picked up eight pounds of trash, rounding their summer total to 140 pounds. The work isn't over, however, they head right back to the shoreline for the next stretch.

Caitlyn says she's certain her future will be in marine biology and she's getting a head start studying by watching every show she can find about the ocean, but until she's old enough to get a job, she says she'll be down the shore trying to save as many creatures as she can.

"That's what is helping this world and this bay because God made it and I want to keep it where it wasn't filled with trash," she said.