Cornwall is blessed with stunning coastline and iconic beaches that captivate both visitors and locals alike. Unfortunately, plastic pollution, particularly coastal pollution, continues to be a worldwide problem. With the G7 held in Cornwall in June 2021 and its emphasis on climate change, it’s more important than ever that we protect our environment. As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental impact and give back to our local communities, Aspects Holidays teamed up with Surfers Against Sewage for a beach clean!
Gathering together on a warm September morning and armed with reusable gloves and bags, our team headed onto Praa Sands beach to begin cleaning! Before we’d even made it to the sand, our team were picking up discarded cups and packets on the path. Sweeping along the beach, our bags quickly began to fill up. Unafraid to get stuck in, our team dug up buried pieces of litter as well as scrambled over rocks to reach trapped pieces of rubbish.
By the end of the clean and after just a few hours, our team had collected over 10 kilograms of rubbish! This varied from disposable BBQs, cigarette ends, cans, plastic wrappers, dog poo bags, metal rods and even false nails.
The lobster toy fished from the water and the cap of a drinks bottle in the sand are particularly ironic and stark reminders of how damaging plastic pollution is to our native wildlife.
Sadly, we were also confronted with the reality of plastic pollution on our wildlife after discovering the bodies of several deceased seabirds. It is feared that 99% of seabirds will be ingesting plastic by 2050, a statistic that reflects the importance of beach cleans and highlights our individual responsibility to recycle our own litter.
At the end of the clean, the collected rubbish was safely disposed of, and our bags and gloves folded away for the next clean! Thank you to Surfers Against Sewage for providing the equipment and to the team members who took time out of their weekend to attend. Cornwall’s beaches are amongst the most popular in the UK and it’s important to all of us that we take care of where we live so everyone can enjoy it!
If you’re also passionate about the environment and want to find out more about beach cleans, you can visit the Surfers Against Sewage website. You can also find out more about the conservation work we support by taking a look at our guide to ‘watching seals well’, produced in collaboration with Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust.
Want to visit a beach in Cornwall? Take a look at our range of holiday homes in Cornwall >
Tags: Beaches | Cornwall | Dogs | Praa Sands | RNLI | Environment |