The Great British Beach Clean

By Delfina Rainoldi

“Every September thousands of people take to the beach all over the UK to take part in the Great British Beach Clean.”

The Great British Clean is a week-long citizen science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place around the UK. The litter data collated by volunteers drives the Marine Conservation Society’s conservation work and serves the International Costal Clean-Up (ICC)[1]; but it not only provides valuable information for the former, but also for business and people alike who are trying to make a positive change in daily life.

Similar to Marine Conservation Society’s, CanO Water’s inception was all thanks to plastic pollution (an ironic thanks that is!) In 2015, three friends, Josh, Perry and Ariel, were travelling around Thailand and once they reached the white sandy beaches of a remote island they found that plastic was *drowning* these beautiful locations. However, plastic has been consuming every inch of our world since the 1950s when production began to exponentially increase… only a few years ago, in 2015, 406 million tonnes of plastic was produced[2] and now were are seeing it impact the world in more than one way.

[1] https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/the-great-british-beach-clean/

[2] https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/10-shocking-facts-about-plastic

Get involved!

Are you feeling inspired to make a change? A clean up near you is calling your name!

Getting involved is super easy and takes no time, plus there is something for everyone, everywhere. Check off the below list, step by step and you’ll be well on your way!

SIGN UP get involved in the Great British Beach Clean by following this link which shows you the nearest clean-ups to you. Fear not, if you can’t find one near your postcode, you can organise your own by following these resources.

SPREAD THE WORD Hit up your Whatsapp groups, re-share social posts and why not even create a Facebook event to save the date. It’s time to invite everyone and anyone to join the clean. The more data collected, and litter cleaned the merrier. Team work really is the dream work.

WEAR Grab your coolest and strongest pair of gloves, in addition to your sturdiest walking boots to make sure you’re protected during the litter collection. We’d recommend also wearing a rucksack to keep a waterproof, suncream and hand sanitiser at the ready – whatever the weather!

BRING Have a little picker? If so, it’s officially time for this gadget to shine! And perhaps bring some snacks to keep you fuelled on your journey. Most importantly, don’t forget to stay hydrated with your re-usable flask at your side.

HEAD OUTSIDE Yes, it really is that easy.

SHARE THE DEETS Be sure to document your clean and share it with the world. The purpose of your actions and beauty of the UK beaches that lie on our doorstep are waiting to be viewed by all who couldn’t physically make it. It’s time to educate online through quick snaps, videos, reels and more… we’ll leave the creativity to you. Make sure to tag @canowater , @mcs_uk and hashtag #GreatBritishBeachClean so we can re-share all your efforts for change!

Alternatively, if you don’t live near a beach, then don’t feel like you can’t help! Parks, forests, streets and local urban areas need to be rid of litter too, and any litter that is taken off the streets early on means you’ve stopped it from getting to the ocean! The power of change is in your hands. We cant wait to see how you get involved, tag us in your cleans. Thank you for helping us campaign for change.