How to take part in the Big Beach Clean this month

THE Big Beach Clean is an annual call-to-action organised by Clean Coasts that year after year has seen thousands of volunteers from communities all over Ireland getting involved to remove litter from our beautiful coast at the end of the bathing season, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), operated internationally by Ocean Conservancy.

This year, the initiative will run between September 17 to 19.

The Big Beach Clean is also an opportunity for volunteers to get involved in a worldwide citizen science project, which entails collecting the amount and types of litter on Irish beaches and filling in Clean Coasts’ Marine Litter Data Cards. This will help heighten awareness about the issue of marine litter serving as an indicator of the magnitude of the problem.

The Big Beach Clean also takes place over the same weekend as World Clean Up Day, which normally unites more than 20 million people in 180 countries, who come together to tackle litter. For this reason, in 2021, with the involvement of the National Spring Clean programme, registrations will again be open to all residents of Ireland, no matter how far from the coast they are based. Statistics show that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities.

Getting involved in the Big Beach Clean is a way for residents of non-coastal counties to help prevent litter entering our waterways and seas by holding a clean-up no matter where they are in the country and tackling the problem at source.

There are so many reasons why more and more people decide to sign up for the Big Beach Clean.

First and foremost, a beach clean is a simple and effective way to make an immediate tangible positive impact on our environment, protecting both life on land and under water.

Moreover, by taking part in the Big beach Clean, you will not only be contributing to creating a more sustainable community but will also become an example to follow and might inspire other people to join this mission too.

Public participation through Citizen Science is the key concept in which everyone does their small part to increase knowledge and provides a lifeline to scientists that would not have the capacity to carry out this research alone and the data collected contributes to a growing body of knowledge, helping to reveal patterns and trends, identify areas for further research and even inform policy. The benefits of citizen science, however, are not only confined to the scientific community. Taking part in these collaborative efforts also promotes active citizenship, increases environmental awareness, and enables people to be part of a bigger picture.

Finally, there are several benefits to our own health, both physical and mental. Not only a cleaner environment poses less threats to our health, but taking part in a beach clean is also a way to get out and exercise, while spending time outside. Studies show that both spending time in nature and taking part in volunteering projects, giving back, or doing something positive for others, can help us to feel fulfilled, energised and more connected to our communities.

All these benefits are reflected, year after year, in our communities across Ireland and the great response Clean Coasts has been getting. In 2020, even though, because of the Covid-19 emergency, the Big Beach Clean initiative was paused, hundreds of volunteers decided to take action on the International Coastal Clean-up weekend, though individual clean-ups or a quick #2minutebeachclean.

In 2019, the campaign reported record breaking numbers with over 300 clean-ups taking place around all of Ireland, engaging approximately 8,000 volunteers who removed at least 45 tonnes of marine litter across the country.

Cully & Sully are proud to be partners with the Big Beach Clean again for 2021: “The work carried out by the teams across the Island of Ireland is amazing and unfortunately very much needed during these times. We all use our local beaches and have spent time on many of the beautiful beaches and waterways across Ireland and are so thankful for the work that the groups and organisations do.

“Highlighting the importance of taking your rubbish home with you and encouraging everyone to do their part really is critical in the world we are living in. We would urge everyone to get out during the Big Beach Clean 2021.

“Why not get together with your family, friends, work colleagues or even your classmates and make a fun day of it whilst also helping this amazing initiative. We need maintain our clean beaches and waterways and protect them for future generations.”

Cully & Sully also support the local Ballynamona Clean Coasts group by sponsoring their clean-up truck and partaking in local clean-ups. The team keep our local beaches tidy and safe meaning that we can all use these with our family. All of the work they do is on a volunteer basis and they are always looking for new recruits.

Cully & Sully will be supporting the work of Big Beach Clean 2021 by running various giveaways during the sign up period from T Shirts to Swim Robes. All you have to do is sign up for your Big Beach Clean pack and share this with Cully & Sully on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can also email Cully & Sully at thehenhouse@cullyandsully.com or check out www.cullyandsully.com/bigbeachclean2021 for more details and to follow the campaign.

Let’s make this the biggest & best beach clean yet.. get out and do your part!!

If you can’t join us this September for our Big Beach Clean, please remember personal action is very important. Everyday choices matter to the future of our ocean. Here’s our Clean Coasts top tips for helping out the ocean that we all can do:

• When visiting the beach or park, do a quick #2minutebeachclean or #2minutestreetclean:
• spend two minutes before you leave the beach picking up a bit of rubbish to leave.
• Choose to refuse single-use plastic. Check out our social media for tips and inspiration.
• If you can’t reduce or reuse, recycle; know where and how to recycle all types of waste.
• Never litter! Always dispose of your waste properly and if a bin is overflowing, hold onto your rubbish until you can dispose of it properly
• Even cigarette butts contain plastic (cellulose acetate in their filter) that never biodegrades. Bin them!
• Avoid cosmetics that contain micro-plastic beads. For more information see here Remember to ‘Think Before You Flush’, sanitary waste is very harmful for marine life, put a bin in your bathroom and only flush the 3 P’s, (Paper, Pee, Poo)