News
We cleaned up – you can too!
2 July 2019
How can I help?
- Put your litter in a bin or take it home with you, to dispose of.
- Reduce your use of single-use plastic, go without (e.g. a plastic straw) or use re-usable alternatives instead, where possible.
- Take part in organised beach cleans or litter-picks, or just do your own with a group of friends/family/colleagues. All you need are gloves, a litter bag and optional litter-pickers to save your back!
We headed out to the beach and seafront after a day in the office/at school and we were amazed by just how much litter we picked up in an hour. It really doesn’t take very long to immediately improve the appearance of your local environment, and to safely bag and bin items of litter that could otherwise be washed away or blown into the sea.
Here’s a few tips to help make your beach clean a success:
- Wear shoes suitable for walking on a beach – as ours is stony, sandals and flip-flops were out!
- Work in pairs, with one using the picker, and one carrying a bag, as it’s was pretty breezy on our stint, this made it easier to bag items without them blowing away again…
- Flowerbeds on the prom, underneath steps on the beach, or alongside the groynes separating beaches, were places that lots of litter accumulates as the the litter becomes trapped there after blowing along in the wind – so these are good places to look.
- Be careful of hazards in the environment as you walk and look for litter e.g. cyclists or other pedestrians on the prom, cars if you’re in a car-park or picking letter from the roadside kerb – stay safe!
Even if you don’t live near the coast, you can still make a difference in your local environment, by cleaning up a local beauty spot or area where litter is a problem. It really doesn’t take too much time to make a noticeable impact, and it makes you feel happy and proud that you’ve helped clear up an area – and got active at the same time.
If you’d like to take part in an organised beach clean, you can have a look on local Facebook groups, or here are some other resources to help find a beach clean-up near you:
Find a National Trust Beach Clean
Join a Great British Beach Clean 2019 Event
The Countryfile guide to Beach Cleaning events to join in 2019
If you know of any other good initiatives, we’d love to hear from you, or see photos of you helping limit the litter where you live. Please get in touch on [email protected]
Love where you live!
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