Nearly 250 Waterford volunteers remove 1.2 tonnes of litter in major coastal clean-up

Nearly 250 volunteers across Waterford rolled up their sleeves to help remove an estimated 1.2 tonnes of litter from the county during this year’s Big Beach Clean.

Clean-ups took place across Waterford’s towns, villages, coastline and inland waterways as part of the nationwide Clean Coasts initiative, held from September 18 to 20.

Among those taking part was Tom Whelan, who recruited a group of friends to tackle a 1.5km stretch between Benvoy and Boatstrand.

The group collected four bags of rubbish, with around half of what they found made up of fishing-related waste. Plastic bottle caps, bags and bottles were among the other items recovered.

Community spirit was also on display in An Rinn, where volunteers joined the Ring Peninsula Community Group to clean a number of beaches around the peninsula.

Meanwhile, the Tramore Eco Group was joined by students from Ardscoil na Mara for a clean-up of Tramore Beach. Volunteers collected plastic, rope, cigarette butts and other discarded rubbish from the popular coastal spot.

The Waterford volunteers were among thousands who took part in the Big Beach Clean across Ireland throughout September.

Around 9,700 people participated in 500 clean-ups across all 26 counties, removing an estimated 58 tonnes of litter from beaches, coastlines, waterways, towns and villages.

The annual campaign is organised by Clean Coasts and coincides with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. As well as physically removing rubbish, volunteers record the amount and types of litter they find, contributing data to an international citizen science project.

According to Clean Coasts, fishing-related waste, cigarette butts and pieces of plastic were among the most commonly recorded litter items during last year’s event.

Clean Coasts Programme Manager Bronagh Moore praised the thousands of volunteers who gave their time to this year’s campaign.

“Once again it was great to see thousands of volunteers show up across the country to support the Big Beach Clean,” she said.

“Together we are making a tangible difference in keeping our beaches clean and in protecting our marine life.” 

She thanked volunteers and local councils for their contribution and encouraged communities to continue getting involved with their local Clean Coasts groups throughout the year.

This year's Big Beach Clean was supported by Kia Ireland, which helped provide clean-up equipment and supplies to participating volunteers around the country.

The campaign also placed an increased focus on communities away from the coastline this year, encouraging people in inland areas to take part and prevent litter from reaching rivers and eventually the sea.