Clean Coasts’ Big Beach Clean 2018 
@CleanCoasts#BigBeachClean

Clean Coasts’ Big Beach Clean took place from 14th to 16th of September all over Ireland. Clean Coasts  once again teamed up with the International Ocean Conservancy for the International Coastal Cleanup event.

This year the Big Beach Clean weekend in Ireland was the biggest yet, with

  • 194 beach cleans took place around the coast of Ireland
  • Engaging 3,652 Clean Coasts volunteers
  • Removing over 32 tonnes of marine litter from our coastline

Each year millions of tonnes of marine litter enter our seas and oceans, resulting in environmental, economic, health and aesthetic challenges.  Clean Coasts invited 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 were 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 incredibly proud of the amazing volunteer effort that joined this call to action over the past weekend,   helping to remove marine litter from our beautiful coastline and aid in the protection of our coastal habitats and marine life”.

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.