Litter in our seas can cause harm to all forms of animals, from tiny plankton to giant whales. Litter in the ocean can take a long time to degrade, varying from 1–1000 years! Plastic litter is a serious environmental issues as it continues to break down into microplastics (pieces less than 5mm) which have been found everywhere from beaches to the deepest parts of the ocean.
Picking up litter and disposing of it properly can help create a clean coastal environment. Litter surveys also help gather data on the types of litter polluting our environment which helps informs campaigns! This sort of information recording is called citizen science.
If you can’t get to the beach, don’t worry! Litter picking by your local park or river still makes a difference for our seas – 80% of the litter on our beaches has come from inland!
What you will need:
- Strong binbags (or buckets)
- Thick gardening gloves
- Suitable footwear (sturdy boots are great for rocky beaches)
- Brightly coloured clothes (for visibility)
- Litter picker (optional – y7ou can ask your local council if you can borrow some)
How to go on a beach clean:
- You could start with a little interactive quiz about litter, asking your group how long they think these items take to break down in the environment. Remember, plastic never fully goes away – it just breaks into little pieces.
- Fishing line – 600 years
- Plastic bottle – 450 years
- Tyres – Up to 2000 years
- Styrofoam – Never!
- How long do we think it takes for a plastic bottle to break down? A packet of crisps? What about a battery? Simple google searches give you the (frightening!) answers.
- Avoid picking up any broken glass or sharp objects, anything very large or heavy, and anything that appears dangerous. Try not to overfill bags to avoid splitting.
- Discuss the findings with the group… Did anyone find anything weird or interesting? What can we do to stop litter ending up in the environment?
- Afterwards, you could separate everything out into different piles and record the rubbish you found. Surveys are very helpful for researchers! You can download a litter survey form from the Marine Conservation Society’s website here
If you are organising a public beach clean, you will need to follow some extra steps. Head to Surfers Against Sewage or Marine Conservation Society for tips!
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