Mayo beach clean collects 2.4 tonnes of litter

An estimated 2.4 tonnes of litter were removed from beaches around the Mayo coast as part of the Big Beach Clean initiative.

The Big Beach Clean took place all around Ireland from September 15 to 17 and in an extraordinary display of environmental stewardship and community spirit, 7,700 Clean Coasts volunteers rolled up their sleeves and removed a staggering over 46 tonnes of litter.

The Big Beach Clean is an annual call to action as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), operated internationally by Ocean Conservancy. This call to action invites communities and volunteers around the country to remove litter from around the Irish coast after the end of the bathing season.

In Mayo, 21 groups and over 400 volunteers removed an estimated 2.4 tonnes of marine litter with clean-ups happening in various locations, including Achill, Ballina, Claremorris, Newport and Louisburgh.

Among them, Clean Coasts group Keep Our Beaches Clean hosted their Big Beach Clean event on Bertra beach outside Westport.

Volunteers commented that the beach was less littered than previous years. However, the group managed to remove a few bags of marine litter as well as baskets and oyster nets, and a lot of plastic items.

Clean Coasts was also delighted to join a fantastic Big Beach Clean event in Currane in Achill, where volunteers hosted a beach clean and then gathered for a marine litter workshop where they learnt more about upcycling waste and created art with the litter removed.

As well as coastal clean-ups, inland communities also learned about how rubbish littered inland can make its way onto the seashore. The Crossboyne Village Enhancement Group, near Claremorris, which is a 'Think Before you Flush' region for 2023 met with Clean Coasts Officer Olivia Jones during their clean-up.

Over 20 people turned out to remove litter and to maintain the area in the beautiful village and Olivia spoke about the connection between inland areas and the ocean, and how 70 percent of marine litter comes from inland areas. The Robe River runs along the area they were cleaning, into Lough Mask and on to the Atlantic through Co Galway.

Clean Coasts is a charity programme, run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce. Throughout the summer, Clean Coasts worked in conjunction with local communities towards achieving and promoting the sustainable development goals through a series of initiatives and campaigns.

This year Clean Coasts worked with Mayo-based community group Keep Our Beaches Clean to raise awareness about issues and solutions regarding smoking-related litter, by installing informational stickers on cigarette bins that had been placed on several beaches and popular spots in the Louisburgh area.

This year's Big Beach Clean was also part of Clean Coasts 20th anniversary celebrations, and the charity programme was delighted to see volunteers from all walks of life, including community groups, Tidy Towns associations, students, families, local businesses, and environmental enthusiasts, unite with a shared commitment to tackle marine litter.

Cully and Sully, who sponsored the initiative commented: “What a tremendous clean-up effort by the nation again this year. It’s mind blowing to think nearly 8,000 people took some time this September to come clean up Ireland's shores and waterways. We hope this campaign has helped bring an awareness of the importance of preventing waste, disposing of it correctly and recycling where possible.”