The Fifth takes part in the great british beach clean
where should we volunteer next?
Every September thousands of people take to the beach all over the UK to take part in the Great British Beach Clean.
At The Fifth, we’re allocated four volunteering days per year to use as we wish and so we decided to to join the Marine Conservation Society at Littlehampton beach for the #GreatBritishBeachClean.
The Great British Beach Clean is a week-long citizen science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK. Litter data collected drives the conservation work and also feeds into the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC).
As well as cleaning up our coastline, Beachwatch volunteers note down all the items they find in a 100m stretch of beach. Every lolly stick, lost toy or piece of plastic gets recorded. This data is hugely important as it helps the Marine Conservation Society track litter back to its source, and enables them to campaign for change.
In total, we collected 20kg of rubbish from West Beach and collected vital data for the Marine Conservation Society that will help them inform the government on what waste is most common on our beaches, which in turn informs policy on waste.
The Marine Conservation Society has seen some great results over the years. Their data has been used to make a positive impact on our ocean – including the introduction of the plastic bag charge, banning microplastics in personal care products, better wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items.
We had great fun working together to help the fight for a cleaner, better protected, healthier ocean; one we can all enjoy.
Check out the #GreatBritishBeachClean for ways in which you too can get involved.
Where shall we volunteer next?
Find out more about the Great British Beach Clean here.