To mark the return of the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean, which will run this year from 19 to 28 September, the charity is urging the public to take responsibility for beach litter by sharing perspectives from some of its beach clean volunteers.
Research conducted by the Marine Conservation Society found that 74 per cent of 2760 respondents to its beach clean survey this May reported an increase in beach litter during the summer months.
Volunteers broadly agreed that more visitors and a lack of public awareness about the environmental impacts of beach litter are drivers of the increase, leading to a call for visitors to ‘take it home and bin it.”
To reinforce the message, beach-cleaning volunteers are urging people to ‘take collective responsibility for beach litter and embrace ocean-friendly habits.’
‘Beach litter harms marine life, pollutes our ocean, and spoils natural beauty,’ said one of the charity’s volunteers. ‘Every piece left behind can end up in the sea – let’s keep our beaches clean for wildlife and future generations.’
Plastic waste was raised as a particular concern, with 59 per cent of volunteers reporting that they feel plastic waste is increasingly a problem on the UK’s beaches.
A shocking 32 per cent of respondents said they had seen marine life, including crabs, seabirds and dolphins, entangled in litter items such as fishing gear and discarded frisbees.
Others reported finding birds’ nests containing plastic and one volunteer reported ‘regularly finding seals caught in discarded nets’ on her local beach.
The news was not all bad, however, with MCS reporting that volunteers had seen ‘clear signs of progress on [the UK’s] shores. Seventy-eight per cent of beach-clean volunteers reported a positive change in beach litter, echoing the charity’s data regarding plastic bag charges, which has resulted in an average 80 per cent reduction in discarded carrier bags.
With visitor numbers on the rise, and the final round of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations underway this week, MCS is calling on the public to take action by taking part in beach cleaning activities, which are available all year round through the charity’s website.
From Friday 19 to Sunday 28 September, MCS and this year’s sponsor holidaycottages.co.uk, will be supporting around 500 beach cleaning events, in which at least 6,000 volunteers are already expected to participate.
Not only does the event help to clear the beaches and oceans of harmful waste and plastic, data collected during the cleans is collated and reported to the government to better inform conservation efforts.
‘There’s something deeply grounding about standing on a shoreline and knowing that your small actions are part of something much bigger,’ said MCS volunteer, Isaac Kenyon.
‘Every piece of litter picked up is one less hazard for wildlife, one less piece of plastic in the ocean, and one small step toward a healthier planet.’
To find and join a beach clean near you, or start your own, visit the Great British Beach Clean page to register.
