Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean 2017 weekend will take place on the 15th, 16th and 17th of September 2017. We are delighted to team up again with the International Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Cleanup event. In 2016, over half a million volunteers in 112 countries removed 8 million kg of marine litter from the world’s oceans during the event.
Clean Coasts are inviting volunteers to join this global coastal movement for litter free seas and be part of the world’s largest coastal cleanup and marine litter survey. Removing marine litter from our beautiful coastline helps protect our coastal habitats and marine life.
Last year 120 cleanups took place in Ireland during the Big Beach Clean weekend. This year we are on course to surpass that total.
Join the movement for litter free seas and register a cleanup for the Big Beach Clean weekend www.cleancoasts.org . Volunteers receive a free clean up kit containing bags, gloves, health and safety information, data cards and hi-vis vests.
During the Big Beach Clean, Clean Coasts volunteers are also 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.
Speaking about the Big Beach Clean, Sinead McCoy, Clean Coasts National Manager
said, “We are so lucky in Ireland to have such spectacular sandy beaches and rocky shores but each year millions of tonnes of litter enter our seas and oceans causing environmental, economic, health and aesthetic challenges. We all have a responsibility in caring for our coastline so the Clean Coasts programme is inviting volunteers to join this global coastal clean-up helping remove marine litter from our beautiful coastline and aid in the protection of our coastal habitats and marine life”.