Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean returns next week

The Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean will be running from 17^th – 26^th September 2021.

Volunteers taking part will help the charity to gather data which will contribute to a global database as part of the International Coastal Cleanup.

To sign up for a beach clean, or set up your own, simply visit the Marine Conservation Society’s website: https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/great-british-beach-clean-events/

For those not able to get to the coast, there’s still plenty of ways to take part. The Source to Sea Litter Quest is an inland version of the charity’s survey form, highlighting some of the most common litter items found on the coast. To get involved, individuals can use the survey form and see if they can spot the litter items in their local area. For more information on taking part inland, visit the charity’s website: https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/source-to-sea-litter-quest/

Key stats and facts

·        At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, volunteers collected 151,422 litter items, filling 685 bin bags with 3,132kg of rubbish

·        PPE litter including face masks and gloves was found on nearly 30% of beaches cleaned by the charity’s volunteers across the week of the Great British Beach Clean 2020

·        Plastic and polystyrene pieces (0-50cm in size) were the most common litter item at last year’s Great British Beach Clean, with an average of 167 pieces found for every 100 metres of beach cleared and surveyed

·        At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, volunteers found an average of 425 items of litter for every 100 metres of UK beach cleaned. 

·        Since the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge in Wales in 2011, and across the rest of the UK since, the Marine Conservation Society reports a 55% drop in the single-use bags found on beaches across the UK.

Quotes

If you would like to arrange an interview, please get in touch.

Lizzie Prior, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society: “The Great British Beach Clean is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference. Not only do volunteers help keep the UK’s beaches beautiful and litter-free, they collect vital data on what’s polluting our environment. We’ve used data collected in the past to campaign for carrier bag charges and single-use plastic bans, all of which have led to a reduction in litter on our beaches. So why not get outside, join us on a beach clean and make a difference?”

Zoe Lyons, Marine Conservation Society Ocean Ambassador: “As an ocean-lover, I’m so pleased to be supporting the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean. The events offer plenty of opportunity to get involved and do something practical to help the state of our seas. Even if you don’t live near the sea, you can still help – by taking part in the charity’s Source to Sea Litter Quest. The inland litter picks collect information which will help the Marine Conservation Society understand how much of the litter on our beaches is making its way there from our villages, towns and cities far from the coast.”

Media opportunities

The Marine Conservation Society’s team will be hosting beach cleans throughout the week, with some available to host broadcast crews for interview. If you would like to arrange some filming/interviews for the launch of the Great British Beach Clean on 17^th September, the following beach cleans are currently set to take place:

–       17^th September @ Hove beach, East Sussex

–       17th September @ Shoreham beach, West Sussex

–       17^th September @ Roseisle beach, Moray

–       18^th September @ Cramond beach, Edinburgh