That’s the Way to Do It!

Think Global, Act Local. That’s exactly what 752 brilliant beach clean volunteers did over the weekend of the 27 & 28 April for the Annual Litter Free Coast & Sea Great Dorset Beach Clean 2019.

Now in its 30th year, the Great Dorset Beach Clean was once again hailed as a success and despite the best efforts of ‘storm Hannah’, 752 volunteers gave up their time to make a difference to our coasts, retrieving 214 bags of rubbish from Friars Cliff to Lyme Regis.

The volunteers found a huge range of rubbish from crab and lobster pots; metal, wood, clothes, marine rope, bio beads, ‘nurdles’, cans, glass bottles, plastic packaging, old fishing gear, deck chairs, cigarette butts, plastic bottles…although not as many as last year, and the big nasties…wet wipes!

Litter Free Coast & Sea Coordinator Gwen Hawkins said, “We’d like to give a huge vote of thanks to all the organisations who agreed to host a clean this weekend and, most importantly, to the hundreds of volunteers who gave up their time to help clean up Dorset’s beaches in time for the summer season”.

She went on to explain “beach cleans are an important way for us to understand what rubbish is being found on which beaches. In turn, this helps us to work out who we can work with to help stop more getting out there in the future- after all, if we don’t reduce the amount going into the sea, these clean ups will go on forever! We’re thrilled that Dorset’s residents are passionate about protecting their part of the coast and are willing to give up their time to make a difference.”

The clean-up was co-ordinated by the Litter Free Coast and Sea, part of the Dorset Coast Forum and we would like to say a huge thank you to all the landowners, charities and organisations who hosted a beach clean over the weekend and, most importantly, to the hundreds of volunteers who gave up their time to help clean up Dorset’s beaches.

Volunteers recorded what was found during the cleans and plastic bottles, cigarette butts and marine litter were among the most common things found. Project Assistant Caz Richards explains “it’s so easy to stop these kinds of things becoming litter on our beaches; bring a reusable bottle and refill it at one of the many Refill Dorset stations; use the bins provided or take your litter home. Every little action adds up to make a big difference.”

The Great Dorset Beach Clean will be back next year, but in the meantime, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and ‘do your bit’. There are now several 2minute beach clean boards around the Dorset coast that allow you to do a mini litter pick while enjoying the great beaches that Dorset has to offer.

Check out the website to find out more about #2-minute beach clean stations, Refill Dorset and regular community beach clean groups.

Huge THANKS to everyone who everyone who got involved this year, and if you missed out…then come and join us next time!

Litter Free Coast and Sea are back with the 30th annual Great Dorset Beach Clean over the weekend of April 27th and 28th April 2019.

Beach cleans will take place from Lyme Regis all the way along the coast to Friars Cliff, so there’ll be plenty to choose from.

It’s a fantastic event that makes a real difference to our beaches and people taking part carry out surveys of what’s found which helps us understand the top litter items found on our beaches. We then use that information to develop campaigns to try and reduce these items at source.

Last year over 500 volunteers turned out to clear 350 bags of rubbish from Dorset’s beaches. They collected everything from single-use items like plastic bottles and drinks cans, to historical clay pipes and fishing line that had been washed up onto the shoreline. Who knows what we’ll unearth this year!

GDBC Update

We’re sorry to announce that tomorrow’s #GDBCevents at #BOURNEMOUTH, #CHESIL BEACH & #LULWORTH (DurdleDoor) have been cancelled due to the high winds forecast.
Thank you to everyone for your interest.
At present, all other Saturday beach cleans will go ahead as advertised, but please keep an eye out for updates during today and tomorrow morning. ☹️
#sorry #SafetyFirst

The Great Dorset beach Clean, started in 1988 to mark the MARPOL convention, designed to prevent pollution of the English Channel.

The clear majority of litter found on Dorset’s beaches is made of plastic, which steadily accumulates if not removed. As standard plastics never degrade, they circle around the world in ocean currents and can cause long term damage.

We hope local people will once again give their time to help spruce up our spectacular coastline and make this year’s event the biggest yet!

Each event only lasts up to two hours but helps make a lasting impact to our coast. But most of all, Beach Cleans are fun, FREE and a very worthwhile event for all ages to participate in!

We’ll be updating this page with locations as groups register their interest, so check in regularly for updates!

See you on the 27 & 28 April!

Beach Clean Calendar

Litter Free Coast and Sea Week 2017

The theme for Litter Free Coast and Sea Week 2017 was #LitterFreeDaysOut. We encouraged people to enjoy a Litter Free Day Out during Easter and share what they did on social media.

Even though the week is over you can still join in and share youre #LitterFreeDaysout. Find out how below and remember to tag us on social media.

Great Dorset Beach Clean 2017

22 of Dorset’s beaches were cleaned as part of the 2017 Great Dorset Beach Clean. It involved over 425 volunteers who offered couple of hours to make a difference to our coasts, retrieving just over 330 bags of litter from beaches from Christchurch to Lyme Regis. Almost 470 fewer bags than last year.

It is very encouraging to see that there was a lot less litter collected this year than last. Lots of factors can affect this including recent weather. We also now have 19 #2minutebeachclean stations and several community beach clean groups along the coast so beach cleans are happening more regularly throughout the year. However, we hope that less litter collected this year does indicates that less litter is being dropped along the coast. Huge thanks to everyone involved.