Volunteers needed to help clean up UK beaches
The Marine Conservation Society is calling on volunteers to help with the annual beach clean up event
‘The Great British Beach Clean’ is set to take place over a September weekend and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is calling on the public to volunteer their services to help tidy up Britain’s beaches.
The annual beach cleaning event has been running for 23 years; last year’s clean up attracted the support of over 6,000 volunteers who took to 340 UK beaches, picking up a total of 3,298 pieces of litter; a record for the event.
UK charity, Marine Conservation Society (MCS), is dedicated to the care of Britain’s shorelines and seas and the sea life and wildlife that inhabits these environments. The society’s Great British Beach Clean Up event is being held as part of the International Ocean Clean-up, organised by the Ocean Conservancy.
Last year’s International Coastal Cleanup was held across 93 countries worldwide. Volunteers collected a total of 8,193 tonnes of litter from over 25,000 miles of international coastline. Cigarettes butts, plastic bottles, and food packaging (crisp packets, etc), were the three types of waste collected most by the volunteers.
Eunomia Research & Consulting says that beaches should be the focus in the fight against plastic ocean pollution. According to Eunomia, more plastic is found on beaches than on the ocean surface, which implies that beach clean ups have a very significant impact on the level of plastic in the world’s oceans.
The MCS is therefore calling for ‘urgent’ help for the September beach clean up, which is to take place between Friday 16 and Monday 19. If you’re interested in taking part in the British beach clean up, visit the Marine Conservation Society website for more information.
Please click here to find out more about our waste management services.