Big Beach Clean-up Report 2015

in partnership with

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Another successful week of beach and waterways cleaning between 7th and 13th May 2015, thanks to you

It’s the fourth consecutive year for the Big Beach Clean-up, a volunteering and awareness raising activity developed from the partnership between the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Marks & Spencer (M&S), with involvement from the Canal & River Trust (CRT).

bags of rubbish filled

4,208

Here’s what almost

achieved cleaning

and

182,270items of litter

removed

tonnes of litter cleared

40

of beaches cleared

148 km

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6,000 fabulous volunteers90 beaches

42 inland waterways...

Top ten items

down from 2014 1 same position as 2014 up from 2014 new to the top ten in 2015

1 Small pieces of plastic 1

2 Wrappers 1

3 Glass

4 Plastic bottles

5 Fishing line 1

6 Plastic bags

7 Paper

8 Metal 1

9 Wood*

10 Polystyrene

planks, pallet wood etc, not branches or other natural driftwood

*

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Put a date in your diary for the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean - 18th to 21st September 2015. Sign up at www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean.

Take a re-usable bag when out shopping to avoid more carrier bags entering the environment.

Invest in a refillable drinks container - you’ll save money and help lower the number of single-use bottles in circulation.

Buy things with little or no packaging as much as possible.

Think about the type of fish you eat and opt for those most sustainable. Visit www.fishonline.org for details.

If you see litter on the beach, pick it up and pop it in a bin.

“The event was a huge success and the

volunteers and staff from M&S were brilliant.”

Deborah Jefferson, Beachwatch organiser at

Seaton Carew

“ I think the MCS Big Beach Clean Up

is a very worthwhile event. It is well organised and the number crunching is worth it to show just

how much and of what type of rubbish there is out there!”

Chris Ryde, Beachwatch organiser for Felixstowe

How you can continue helping our seas and beaches

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Thanks to you our beaches are cleaner!

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Come on down to the beach!Join the UK’s biggest beach clean and litter survey,

and show our coastline some love.

Supported by players of

18th to 21st September 2015

461-

2015

Register as a volunteer or organiser at www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean

Marine Conservation Society Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7US

Tel: 01989 566017 Email: info@mcsuk.org Web: www.mcsuk.org Registered Charity (England and Wales) No: 1004005; Registered Charity No (Scotland): SC037480

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