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media release The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) [1] published the results of the Beachwatch 2002 Beach Litter Survey [2] today. On 21st and 22nd September 2002, 2,598 volunteers recorded a total of 241,285 items of litter on 229 beaches, whilst also giving 150km of the UK coastline a much needed clean. The results indicate that we continue to leave a rising tide of litter in our wake, with a 2.1% overall increase in beach litter recorded compared to 2001, representing one item of litter for every 60cm of beach surveyed. MCS believes that litter levels are still unacceptably high, posing a threat to wildlife and people, and spoiling the natural beauty of our coastline. However, levels of sewage related debris were the lowest ever recorded, comprising 3.9% of the total litter compared to 6.7% in 2001.
In Scotland, Beachwatch 2002 was the biggest ever, with volunteers surveying 43 beaches from St Abbs to Shetland. A total of 56,686 litter items were found, averaging 1,240 items/km, slightly higher than in 2001 (1,207 items/km) but below the UK average of 1,609 items/km. Sewage related debris in Scotland comprised 5.8% of the Scottish total, down considerably from 14.2% in 2001, but still slightly higher than the UK average of 3.9%.
Calum Duncan, MCS Marine Conservation Officer for Scotland said, “It is encouraging to see levels of sewage related debris on Scotland’s beaches declining. However, the total amount of litter collected throughout the UK in Beachwatch 2002 shows a 2.1% increase on 2001 levels. Although only a slight increase, litter levels are over 50% higher than those recorded in 1994, indicating that there is still a long way to go to ensure our beaches are clean and safe places for people and wildlife. Litter poses a threat to dolphins, whales, turtles and seabirds by entanglement in and ingestion of plastics. It also spoils fish catches, and affects local economies through clean-up costs and loss of tourism in affected areas. The review of litter in the Environment Protection Act Scotland is the ideal opportunity for the Scottish Executive to show everyone [3] their commitment to helping reduce marine and coastal litter.”
Scottish Environment Minister Ross Finnie welcomed the publication of the Beachwatch 2002 report saying: "We are committed to working for a cleaner and safer environment, and the Beachwatch 2002 report will be an invaluable tool in continuing this work. Keeping our beaches clean is as important as keeping our streets and countryside clear of litter, which is why we recently announced funding of £50,000 to support an anti-marine litter advertising campaign."
As in previous years, the national UK results for Beachwatch 2002 show that the highest proportion of litter is left by beach visitors (39.1%), followed by fishing litter (14.6%), sewage related debris (3.9%) and shipping (2.2%). The Top 10 items found represented 61% of all litter collected [4], and included items such as plastic drinks bottles, cigarette stubs, crisp and sweet wrappers, and glass pieces - much of which was left behind by beach users.
The Marine Conservation Society and other members of the National Aquatic Litter Group (NALG) have called upon Government to review aquatic litter legislation and create a duty to remove litter from beaches and water bodies such as rivers and canals [5]. MCS has also recommended that powers to issue on the spot fines for littering are given to traffic wardens, beach wardens and park rangers. In addition to extended litter laws, MCS also says that one of the main challenges is to change public attitudes towards littering. Alison Conway, MCS Litter Projects Co-ordinator said, “Nobody wants to go to a beach covered in litter, but much of the litter found is left by people who use the beach or visit the coast. MCS promotes the idea of individual responsibility. Every person using the beach must dispose of their litter carefully, either in the bins provided, or by taking their rubbish home with them.”
Marine litter also poses a hazard to navigation and Seb Clover, the youngest person to sail single handed across the Atlantic in December 2002, encountered a range of potentially damaging litter on his trip. "When I set off to sail single handed across the Atlantic in December 2002, the first few miles of my trip were fraught with danger - not from the usual hazards that one always expects at sea - but from fridges and all sorts of other floating rubbish which surrounded Tenerife. Even in mid-ocean you see lots of rubbish just floating about. Plastics float around for years without degrading and you see lumps of polystyrene regularly. Much of it ends up on beaches the world over. It is about time that we stopped treating our world so badly – it’s the only one we've got."
Plastics were once again the most common material found, accounting for at least 57% of the litter recorded in Beachwatch 2002. This included 36 plastic bags for every kilometre of coastline surveyed. MCS has urged the Government to introduce a plastic bag tax, as has been initiated in Ireland, which could significantly reduce the amount of plastic bags used, and subsequently discarded, in this country each year. The discovery of a dead Minke whale in France in April 2002 [6] with 800g (wet weight) of plastics in its stomach (including two English supermarket plastic bags), is a sad reflection of the impacts our throw away society has on marine wildlife.
MCS is encouraged that the percentage of litter attributable to sewage related debris (SRD) has decreased from 6.7% of the total found in 2001 to 3.9% in 2002, the lowest level recorded since the first survey in 1993. MCS strongly encourages the public not to flush SRD items, particularly cotton bud sticks, down the toilet, and actively supports the ‘Bag It & Bin It ’ campaign [7]. Despite the reduced levels of SRD, over 6,500 cotton bud sticks were collected, and a total of 9,379 SRD items were removed from UK beaches in Beachwatch 2002.
Beachwatch is the flagship event of the Marine Conservation Society’s Adopt-a-Beach [8] project, which encourages volunteers to clean and survey their local beach on a regular basis to identify the sources of litter. Adopt-a-Beach is funded by The Crown Estate [9] and Defra’s Environmental Action Fund [10]. The data from Beachwatch surveys also contributes to the International Coastal Cleanup, organised by the Ocean Conservancy in the United States [11]. Beachwatch volunteers really are making a positive impact on their local marine environment and helping MCS in our campaign to ‘turn the tide on litter’.
ENDS
For further information, including notes, you can download the full media release as a Word document.
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