Clean Coasts’ Big Beach Clean 2018
Join the world’s largest coastal cleanup
@CleanCoasts#BigBeachClean

Clean Coasts’ Big Beach Clean is taking place on the weekend of the 15th, 16th & 17th of September all over Ireland. Clean Coasts is once again teaming up with the International Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Cleanup event.

In 2017 as part of the International Coastal Cleanup,

  • Internationally, 789,138 volunteers in more than 100 countries collected nearly 9,300 tonnes of marine litter during International Coastal Cleanup event.
  • In Ireland, 157 clean-ups took place in Ireland, with over 3,000 volunteers getting involved in beach clean
  • In Ireland, over 18 tonnes of marine litter was removed from the coastline
  • As in previous years, cigarette butts—which contain plastic filters—topped the list at approximately 4 million collected;
  • The top items recorded in 2017 during the International Coastal Cleanup collected were,
    • food wrappers (1.7 million),
    • plastic beverage bottles (1.6 million),
    • plastic bottle caps (1.1 million),
    • plastic grocery bags (757,523)

Since the first International Coastal Clean Up event in September 1986, 13 million volunteers have collected in excessive of 100,000 tones of litter from beaches and waterway.

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.

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.

This year Clean Coasts have teamed up with Coca-Cola and Centra to spread the word about the Big Beach Clean and take action to clean up our coastline. Coca-Cola will undertake its most ambitious volunteering initiative to date, with hundreds of employees across the island of Ireland taking part in the Big Beach Clean, on Friday 14th September.

Coca-Cola staff based in Dublin, Ballina, Wexford, Drogheda, Lisburn, Cork and Tuam will get involved in the Big Beach Clean, with more than 300 of its 1,600 employees expected to turn out to support the movement to rid our beaches of litter. Three flagship events are planned for Enniscrone, Co. Mayo; Banna Beach Co Kerry, and Portavogie, Co. Down, led by coastal champions musician Kian Egan, comedian Colin Murphy and social influencer Anouska.

Clean Coasts programme are also partnering with Centra stores based in the heart of coastal communities to encourage their shoppers to take part in the Big Beach Clean. Sixty-five Centra stores across the Republic of Ireland will promote the Big Beach Clean in 2018, giving those who register the option of picking up their beach clean kit from their local store.

 

Notes to editor:  

Clean Coasts Programme

Clean Coasts engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life. The programme is operated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce and is currently funded by the Department of the Housing, Planning & Local Government and Fáilte Ireland. Clean Coasts is made up of two main elements; Clean Coasts Volunteering and the Green Coast Award.

Clean Coasts organises hundreds of beach clean-ups annually mobilising thousands of volunteers, removing considerable quantities of marine litter from our coastline. Clean Coasts has grown over the years and now includes two main national clean-up drives – Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week and the Big Beach Clean. Our volunteering has expanded to include Corporate Volunteering and the Ocean Hero Awards also. Other aspects include the Green Coast Award, the Love Your Coast Photography competition, the Clean Coasts Roadshow for coastal communities and we are continuing to grow the Clean Coasts programme with the likes of Ocean Talks.

An Taisce is the National Trust for Ireland working to preserve and protect Ireland’s natural and built heritage. The Environmental Education Unit is responsible for developing and operating some of Ireland’s most popular and successful environmental and sustainability programmes. It is the National Operator for all international environmental education programmes of FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), including the Blue Flag Award for Beaches and Marinas and Green-Schools, the international environmental education programme in operation across 93% of Irish schools.

The Environmental Education Unit also operates a number of national programmes including: Green Campus, Neat Streets, National Spring Clean (Ireland’s largest anti-litter campaign), Green Home, Green Communities, and the Irish Greening Community Award Programme.