The annual Great British Beach Clean is back from the 16th to the 25th September and the Marine Conservation Society is calling for volunteers across Wales to join them in the quest to clean up our coastline.

As well as keeping our beaches free from debris, the campaign helps collect valuable data, which ultimately benefits our great British wildlife; cleaner seas and shores equals healthier flora and fauna. 

Every year volunteers make note of the litter they collect, sharing the data with the Marine Conservation Society’s experts. This data has supported much-needed policy change, from carrier bag charges to legislation entering the Senedd in the Autumn to ban some single-use plastics.

Last year, volunteers collected nearly 200kg of litter, with an average of 4.14 items found for every metre of beach surveyed across Wales.

"Over 500 dedicated volunteers in Wales joined us in cleaning and surveying over 3,700 metres of Welsh coast," says Ffion Mitchell, Volunteer Community Engagement Manager (Wales) at the Marine Conservation Society. "This year, we’d love to see even more volunteers get involved. These surveys provide vital evidence, helping us monitor and communicate how bad our pollution problem really is in Wales.” 

“The Covid-19 pandemic reconnected so many Welsh communities to our natural environment, reminding us of its importance for our health, wellbeing, livelihoods and happiness. We hope you’ll be inspired to join us during the Great British Beach Clean this year to play your part in protecting our ocean for future generations.”

At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, 82% of all litter collected from Welsh beaches was made from plastic and polystyrene.

From production to disposal, plastic has a direct impact on the ocean’s capacity to combat the climate crisis and is also entering the food chain, from tiny phytoplankton to ocean giants, like whales.

Join the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean as an organiser, or volunteer, this year. Sign up via the charity’s website: www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean