Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean takes place September 16

The Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean will take place from the 16-18 of September all over Ireland.

Clean Coasts is once again teaming up with the International Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Cleanup event. Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean.

Each year millions of tonnes of marine litter enter our seas and oceans, resulting in environmental, economic, health and aesthetic challenges. Clean Coasts are inviting volunteers to join this global coastal clean-up helping remove marine litter from our beautiful coastline and in turn protecting our coastal habitats and marine life.

Clean Coasts is made up of two elements; Clean Coasts volunteering and the Green Coast Award. The aim of the Green Coast Award is to recognise beaches of high environmental quality.  To achieve the award, beaches must have excellent water quality and have effective and appropriate management to ensure the protection of the natural environment. Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean.

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In 2015, Nearly 100 events were organize as part of Big Beach Clean weekend, involving 1,542 volunteers. An estimated 800,000 volunteers participated internationally with more than 8 million kilograms of litter being collected during this International Coastal Cleanup event. Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean.

Plastic bottle caps tend to be the number one culprit. Plastic bottles, aluminium drinks cans and cigarette butts tend to be among the highest ranking litter items found.

Other common items generally in the top ten include food packaging, sweet wrappers and fishing litter such as rope and string and sewage related debris/litter such as baby wipes and cotton bud sticks. Some unusual items are also found such as a shopping trolley handle, a computer keyboard, shoes and even a steering wheel!

During the Big Beach Clean, Clean Coasts volunteers are asked to carry out marine litter surveys to quantify the amount and types of litter on Irish beaches. These surveys are aimed at heightening awareness about the issue of marine litter and serve as an indicator of the magnitude of the problem.

There are currently over 500 registered Clean Coasts groups. There are a variety of group types such as community groups, residents associations, tidy towns groups, sports clubs, schools, businesses, universities etc.

Clean Coasts is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce and is funded by the Department of the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Fáilte Ireland and Coca-Cola.

Join us by registering your beach clean on Clean Coasts website, and receive your free Beach Clean pack! www.cleancoasts.org

Check out Clean Coasts here.

Follow Clean Coasts on Twitter here.

Check out the Green Coast Award here.