One of the largest groups of volunteers to date
came along to help with the latest Beach Clean and Litter Survey held on 12th
June at Hurst Spit, Milford on Sea, organised by the Hampshire & Isle of
Wight Wildlife Trust.
Over 30 people attended from the local
community, including brownies, their leaders, parents and local residents,
including several who are regular volunteers.
The group were out litter picking and surveying
for an hour and a half, covering an area of 120m x 60m, and during that time
managed to collect 27.4kg of litter in 12 bags. The vast majority of litter
collected was plastic, particularly bottle caps, straws and pieces of nylon
rope.
Litter on our beaches is a big problem on our
shores – it’s not only unsightly, but also harms wildlife through entanglement
and ingestion, and can impact human health. There has been a 135% increase in
plastic litter on our shores since 1994.
Hurst Spit has been adopted as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s
Adopt-a-Beach Project. At first glance much of this beach appears clean but
there is an abundance of small litter pieces that can prove fatal to wildlife.
Amy Dale, Marine Officer, Hampshire & Isle
of Wight Wildlife Trust said, “We’re really grateful for the volunteers who
support the conservation project. Our next beach clean is scheduled for the
same place on Sunday 16th September. Its part of the Marine Conservation
Society’s Big Beachwatch Weekend, so many other beach clean and litter surveys
will be going on all over the UK. It will help us to get a snapshot of the
state of the UK’s beaches nationwide.”
For more information about marine conservation
or to find out about beach cleans, please contact Amy Dale on AmyD@hwt.org.uk
or 01489 774444
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