The UK’s biggest beach survey & clean up!

Beachwatch

MarineConservationSocietyMCS

Results 2009

thank you 4,655 volunteers took part in the MCS Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009. Together you cleaned 397 beaches over one weekend, removed a massive 342,151 pieces of litter and have given us a unique snapshot of the state of litter on UK beaches.

The Big FactsWhat? The UK’s biggest beach clean and litter survey

When?19th and 20th of September 2009

Distance covered?

185 kilometres or 115 miles of the UK coast

Amount of litter?

1,849 pieces of litter for every kilometre

surveyed – that’s one item of rubbish for every

footstep on a beach

We couldn’t do it without you.

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Hengistbury Head, Dorset

Beachwatch

thank you

What’s the most common litter on our beaches?

LITTER ITEMSTop Ten

Plastic pieces <2.5cm1

38,264 collectedPlastics never fully degrade, they just keep getting smaller and smaller. Small plastic pieces have been the most common litter item found on our beaches since 1998.

Plastic pieces >2.5cm2

32,282 collectedThe tides leaves behind some strange things. Among the weirdest items in this category were half a boomerang, a joke severed finger, a fake set of vampire’s teeth and an incubator!

Crisp, lolly, sweet and sandwich wrappers

324,465 collectedThe number of food wrappers on our beaches has increased by 42% since 1996. Whether packaging is dropped on the beach or somewhere miles away, a littered beach can ruin a day at the seaside.

Plastic rope, cord or string pieces

424,243 collectedThis sort of litter is mainly from angling or commercial fishing. Fishing rope used to be made of hemp and broke down quite quickly, but now most of it is made of plastic which will last hundreds of years.

Plastic caps or lids5

20,254 collectedBottle caps of all shapes, sizes and colours wash up on our beaches. When floating at the surface these small plastic objects can be mistaken for food by seabirds - often with tragic results.

Plastic, plastic and more plastic! All of the top 10 most common litter items were entirely or partially made of plastic. Plastic litter has increased by an enormous 121% since MCS Beachwatch in 1994 and 64% of all litter found in Beachwatch 2009 was made of plastic.

Plastic drinks bottles7

16,243 collected5% of all beach litter collected in Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009 was plastic bottles. It may take 450 years for one bottle to break down into small pieces.

Polystyrene pieces6

16,396 collectedPolystyrene fast food containers, packaging and other products break down into small pieces when they’re in the sea. This is a huge hazard to wildlife as seabirds may eat floating polystyrene balls.

Fishing net and net pieces8

14,648 collectedLost or discarded fishing nets continue to ‘ghost’ fish catching anything from basking sharks and dolphins to seals and fish. This not only harms marine wildlife but also means there is less fish for us to eat.

Cotton bud sticks9

12,961 collected33 cotton bud sticks will litter an average 100 metre stretch of beach. Cotton buds are often flushed down the loo and escape sewage filters to end up on the beach.

Cigarette stubs10

11,670 collectedCigarettes stubbed out and discarded miles from the sea can find their way into storm drains, streams and rivers and end up on our beaches. They filter the toxins from cigarettes which are then leached out when the filter is in water.

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Where’s all this litter coming from?

In 2009 the proportion of litter

coming from the public increased yet

again. It remains the most common

source of beach litter, representing

42% of all litter found.

What does this mean? Over a

third of stranded leatherback turtles

are now found with plastic in their

stomach. The most commonly found

items are plastic bags .

The public

Sewage related debris is the third most common source of marine litter. 70% of all sewage related debris found was cotton bud sticks.

Sewage related debris

42% 5%15%

35% - Non sourcedThis litter could not be attributed to one source. This includes plastic pieces and items too small or damaged to identify.

2% Shipping Shipping litter is dropped or lost from ships and includes lost cargo, pallets and strapping bands.

1% Fly tipped

What can you do? Make a difference today – pledge

to never accept a plastic bag at a

checkout again!

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MCS

The second biggest source of litter is fishing activities. This type of litter is one of the most dangerous in the sea, as it can trap and injure animals.

Meet Moaning Myrtle – this seal was found in July 2009 with fishing line wound tightly round her neck. Is it any wonder she was moaning? Myrtle is one of the lucky ones. After being treated, she was released into the wild. Litter fatally injures many seals and the National Seal Sanctuary estimates that 10% of the seals they rescue have been entangled in fishing litter.

Fishing litter

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Caring for wildlifeLike us, we know that you want to stop wildlife being harmed by litter. Thanks to your hard work, there

are now 342,151 less pieces of litter on our beaches and in the sea that could kill or injure animals.

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Joel and Zachary Wilson from St Andrews

School Guernsey

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“The children were both astounded and

disgusted at the amount and variety of litter

that they uncovered, working non-stop until our

time was up. They were taken aback by the final

results!” Cathy Hughes, Ayrshire

GuernseyBeachwatch

This year we had more younger children

taking part with their families. Through

projects like Beachwatch this younger

generation of children are a lot more

environmentally aware, and you can

guarantee if there is something unusual,

strange, rare or down right ridiculous to

find on the beach, they will find it for you. 397 locations

Beachwatch

Ref lections on Big Weekend 2009

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“This beach has a lot of fishing debris, chiefly

crates, ropes and broken nets that spoil an

otherwise beautiful North Wales surfing

beach.” Jacki Clark

GwyneddBeachwatch

Arthur Cranson Blyth BeachNorthumberland

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MAP BY STEVE FRAMPTON

Beach SurveyUnderwater Survey

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Why did SeaFrance choose MCS? We wanted to find a charity that was actively involved in making a difference and helping conserve our marine environment. The fact that MCS does practical activities such as beach cleans and surveys, but is also involved in lobbying and education was something that really appealed to us. We also wanted SeaFrance staff and customers to have the opportunity to join in practical projects.

Our sponsors

How has your view of the sea changed? Since working with the MCS, I cannot believe the amount of litter that is found on the beaches, in particular fishing nets and plastic. I am so much more aware of the impacts of this litter.

How have your customers responded? I have been amazed at the level of support from our customers. Having introduced a £2 donation at the time passengers make their booking with us, they have donated over £300,000 to MCS.

How have SeaFrance staff been involved? Along with the local community of Kingsdown (our adopted beach), staff and friends and families have volunteered to clean and monitor litter.

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“Bawdsey is a lovely spot and it’s sad that people leave litter on the beaches, not only because of the damage it can do to wildlife and the risk to health, but also because it spoils the appearance of the area.” Deborah Wargate

Bawdsey, Suffolk

Beachwatch

How many? 4,655 people from all over the UK

took part in Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009.

How much? They filled 2,742 rubbish bags

with the litter they found.

The good news is that there has been a 16% decrease

in litter density since last year - so our campaigns and

brilliant volunteers are making a difference! The bad

news is that litter is still at unacceptably high levels.

There is still 77% more litter on our beaches than was

found during MCS Beachwatch in 1994.

OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS

Pete Wilkinson organised the biggest Beachwatch Big Weekend event, cleaning 30 Welsh beaches with over 200 volunteers. Well done Pete!

North Wales

Beachwatch

SeaFrance has been supporting Beachwatch for two years and we asked Rachel Rissbrook, their Marketing Development Manager to tell us more about what the relationship means to them.

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Your survey data is helping MCS turn the tide on litter

Government action on marine litter1

Thanks to your beach surveys, petition signatures and support, MCS now has commitment from the Scottish Government and all the three main political parties that they will act to reduce marine litter. This fantastic news means that 2010 could be the year we really start to turn the tide on litter.

Turning the tide on plastic2

MCS is delighted that the plastics industry is taking the marine litter problem seriously. Plastics 2020, a group that represents plastics manufacturers, has opened up the debate within their industry about what they should do to reduce marine plastic litter.

Go Plastic bag Free3

MCS has started over 100 communities on the road to giving up plastic bags for good. Want to help your town go Plastic Bag Free? Contact us today for your free pack!

Don’t let go4MCS works to stop balloons being released. Successes in 2009 include encouraging the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK to ban all future balloon releases and stopping over 20 balloon releases planned as part of The Communication Workers Union protests.

Littercampaigns

Find out about the problem of plastic in the sea and how you can help at www.mcsuk.orgThis plastic bag initiative has the support of the Marine Conservation Society.

free DAY

INTerNATIONALpLAsTIc bAg

MarineConservationSocietyMCS

JOIN Us! Help set the world free from plastic bags.

MCS President: HRH The Prince of Wales. Registered Charity Number (England & Wales): 1004005, Registered Charity Number (Scotland): SC037480, Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2550966,

VAT No: 489 1505 17. Registered Office: Unit 3 Wolf Business Park, Alton Road, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5NB

11 september 2010

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Turn the tide on litter in 2010We need your help to keep the pressure on our leaders to turn the tide on litter. We now have initial commitments from the three main UK political parties and the Scottish Government that they will take action on marine litter.

Please sign our petition at www.mcsuk.org calling on Governments to publish action plans by December 2011 to reduce marine litter.

The more signatures we can collect, the more we can achieve!

Please help us by sending free e-cards from our website to invite friends to join the campaign.

THE ARTWORK FOR THESE POSTCARDS WAS GENEROUSLY DONATED BY ARTISTS FROM THE HEART AGENCY

18-19 September 2010

Beachwatch

Register now to take part

By phone: 01989 567807

By email: beachwatch@mcsuk.org

Online at www.mcsuk.org

By post: Marine Conservation Society

Unit 3, Wolf Business Park, Alton Road, Ross-

on-Wye, HR9 5NB.

The Marine Conservation Society is the UK

charity for our seas, shores and wildlife.

Join us at www.mcsuk.org

Thanks to our supportersMCS would like to thank SeaFrance Dover-Calais Ferries for their ongoing national support of the Beachwatch project. We would also like to thank and the Co-operative for their support in Wales and all of the groups that have helped us to gather evidence that litter is causing harm to

wildlife, including the RSPCA and National Seal Sanctuary.

MarineConservation

SocietyMCS

Registered Charity Number (England & Wales): 1004005 (Scotland): SC037480Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2550966VAT No: 489 1505 17 IMAGE: TIM FANSHAWE

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