The Great British Beach Clean
The Great British Beach Clean is every September, where thousands of people all over the UK take to the beach to make a difference!
It is a week-long citizen science event, where litter data is collected to drive conservation work and feeds into International Coastal Clean-up.
This year, the event starts from today until Sunday 26th September 2021.
Everyone is asked to run a litter survey during the beach clean to record all the items of rubbish they collect in a 100m stretch. The data is then used to campaign for change.
Marine Conservation Society have seen some great results from the data. It has been used to make a positive impact on our ocean – including banning microplastics in personal care products, introducing plastic bag charge, better wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items. All of which has made a positive impact on our environment and pushed brands like ours to make the correct changes.
We’ve changed our packaging for our make-up sponges and konjac sponges to cardboard, as we gradually use less and less plastic. Our cleansing wipes are 100% biodegradable, and our shower scrub uses apricot kernels, instead of microplastics, to minimise ocean pollution.
Last year, the beach clean was a little different due to Covid.
The organisers downsized the beach cleans to small groups of ‘bubbles’ to help clear beaches of litter.
Despite the unusual circumstances, 2,124 volunteers took part across 459 events. Volunteers found an average of 425 items of litter per 100m of UK shoreline.
The results were concerning, but perhaps predictable, presence of PPE litter. Face masks and gloves were found on almost 30% of beaches.
“Considering mask wearing was only made mandatory in shops in England in late July, little more than three months before the Great British Beach Clean, the sharp increase in PPE litter should be a word of warning for what could be a new form of litter polluting our beaches in the future.” Lizzie, Great British Beach Clean Coordinator
Drinks containers also continue to pollute UK beaches. An average of 30 drinks containers were found per 100m of beach surveyed this year once again showing the need for a Deposit Return Scheme.
Plastic PPE poses a threat to wildlife:
Almost 30% of beaches found PPE
207 PPE items found from 385 cleans
69% of inland cleans found PPE equipment
You can get involved this year by looking for a beach clean near you or organise your own. For more information including step by step guides, you can visit their website: https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/useful-guides-and-resources/
See if there’s a beach clean near you: https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/great-british-beach-clean-events/
Organise your own beach clean: https://www.mcsuk.org/accounts/login/?next=/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/organise-a-beach-clean/