Clean Coasts received overwhelming support and commitment from volunteers and communities across Ireland for the Big Beach Clean weekend that took place between 20th and 22nd of September.
This year, a record number of over 600 clean-ups were organised by volunteers who removed over 95 tonnes of litter nationwide, making this Clean Coasts’ largest clean-up event yet.
Clean Coasts joined forces with Kia Ireland who supported the initiative this year by providing clean-ups kits and supplies to our volunteers throughout the country.
Once more, with support from the National Spring Clean initiative, volunteers were asked to join the call to action, no matter how far from the coast. Reports show that the majority of marine litter comes from land based activities and litter dropped in towns and cities ends up on our beaches. Getting involved in the Big Beach Clean has been a way for residents of non-coastal counties to help prevent litter entering our waterways.
Over 30 Students from Claddagh National School and Galway Atlantaquaria took part in this year’s Big Beach Clean on Grattan Beach Friday the 20th of September 2024. The group collected 25kgs of litter altogether and Clean Coasts’ Campaign Officer, Patrick Cross, brought his camera and drone to the event to take some amazing photos and videos!
A small group of volunteers from Culdaff Tidy Towns gathered on Friday, the 13th of September on Culdaff Beach for an early Big Beach Clean where more than 10 volunteers got to work collecting 4 bags of litter.
Scoil Naisiunta Ceathru Thaidgh, Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo, and Juanita the clown from Cicus 250 carried out a beach clean in glorious sunshine on Rinroe beach. 5 bags of marine litter were collected weighing 12 kgs altogether. The students also carried out litter surveys and found the vast majority of litter was made up of rope and nets.
Over 40 people from Siúlóid at Clonakilty Community Resource Centre with Clonakilty Tidy Towns, Inchydoney Island Residents Association and Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa did a Big Beach Clean with the sun shining on Inchydoney beach. The group removed 12kg from the beach. The groups were welcomed by the Mayor of Clonakilty, Eileen Sheppard, before covering the beach, road and carpark and a having a very enjoyable and productive morning. Participants gathered in the sunshine afterwards, enjoying delicious refreshments.
Various Clean Coasts groups teamed up with Kia dealerships across the country for their clean-up events. One of these took place in County Meath with Bettystown Tidy Towns on the 21st of September with 30 volunteers on Bettystown beach. Another happened just a few hours later in County Louth with Cooley Community Alert at Templetown beach.
The Big Beach Clean is an annual call to action that runs as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), operated internationally by Ocean Conservancy and invites communities and volunteers around the country to remove litter from around the Irish coast after the end of the bathing season.
Each year this initiative is also an opportunity for Big Beach Clean 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 to share with Ocean Conservancy, help heighten awareness about the issue of marine litter serving as an indicator of the magnitude of the problem and help shape future policies and campaigns. In 2023, the top three items recorded during the Big Beach Clean weekend were plastic caps and bottles, cigarette butts and food wrappers.
Data from the International Coastal Cleanup has led to policies banning single-use plastics like bags, straws, and utensils, and has influenced global efforts to reduce ocean pollution. It has contributed to international agreements, national waste management reforms, and extended producer responsibility programs. These findings also support initiatives like littering fines, improved recycling, and the promotion of a circular economy. Additionally, the data helps raise public awareness and drive educational programs on sustainable practices to protect marine ecosystems.
Clean Coasts welcomed the support of Kia Ireland and enjoyed meeting with dealerships across the country who also got involved in clean ups in their area. Cathal Kealey, Head of Marketing and PR at Kia Ireland said, “Kia Ireland was delighted to support the 2024 Big Beach Clean initiative from Clean Coasts over the weekend and witness the dedication and hard work of the Clean Coasts staff and volunteers throughout the country. Their work is truly inspiring, with many of them are out there every weekend, come rain or shine, making a huge difference to Irish beaches, and for that we want to say a huge thank you.”
Bronagh Moore, An Taisce, Clean Coasts Programme Manager said; “We’re delighted to see so many volunteers and community groups across the country take part in The Big Beach Clean. This year’s event was the largest yet and is a powerful reminder of the collective impact we can make when we work together. The dedication and support of all of these groups is hugely inspiring and we thank each and every one of them for their contribution. We would encourage everyone to stay involved, keep active in their local Clean Coasts Group and enjoy the many benefits that come with volunteering in the community”.