Every September thousands of people across the UK head to the coast to take part in the Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean.
Our Green Force team got involved in the global project to not only help clear waste but to gather important data which helps to clear the ocean from pollution.
On the quest to help keep our beaches beautiful and our oceans safe for wildlife, our Green Force champions headed to Brighton Beach. The team worked tirelessly collecting litter and noting down all the items they found in a 100m stretch of the beach.
Throughout the day, the team collected a huge amount of rubbish, they removed 931 items – and 59% of what they found came from the public. Plastic/polystyrene was the most common form of litter; 44% of the total items collected were made up of plastic/polystyrene products. In total, 10kg of litter was collected. The team recorded all the items they found and shared this data with the Marine Conservation Society to help them trace back to the source and enable them to campaign for change.
MCS have been running their national beach cleaning and survey work since 1994. This means they now have decades of data gathered by volunteers which they can use to track the common items found on our beaches and then campaign for change.
The evidence is used to lobby Governments for legislative change, as well as to influence industry practices and drive campaigns that lead to changes in individual behaviour. From the plastic bag charge to banning microplastics in personal care products the data volunteers have gathered has helped to make some of the biggest and most significant impacts on beach waste ever.
Green Force champion, said “I think it’s great that we’re doing this as a community activity. I’ve always been impressed by how much of a difference these kinds of activities make to the environment. I think it’s important to keep doing them so that we can continue to make a difference to beaches, to the environment and the general wellbeing of those who take part”.
We are so proud of our Green Force team for helping make a real positive difference in our marine environment.
