Weird and not-so-wonderful UK beach litter discoveries
The Marine Conservation Society’s year-round Beachwatch programme, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, sees dedicated volunteers clearing litter from the UK’s coast and surveying what they find. Whilst much of the data is used to campaign for policies to slow the tide of single-use plastics entering the ocean, sometimes the charity’s volunteers find some weird and not-so-wonderful items washed up on British beaches.
The charity has gathered some of the weirdest items found by volunteers, showing that you truly never know what you’ll find on the UK’s shores, or how long it’s been there for.
- A double mattress
- Plastic Christmas tree
- A plastic Olaf figure
- A single wedding shoe
- A wig
- 20-year-old crisp packet
- A fridge door
- Christmas tree baubles
- Pink women’s underwear, found by astronaut Tim Peake
- Glitterball
Many of the items reported by Marine Conservation Society volunteers show just how long litter can last. Crisp packets, one of the most commonly littered items year on year, can last decades, as proven by the 20-year-old crisp packet found by one volunteer.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “I was shocked to learn about the vast assortment and sizes of the items that have been washed up on our beaches. It is a stark reminder that we need to do more to protect our seas and I’m delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery continue to support this valuable work.”
People’s Postcode Lottery players have raised £2.65 million for Marine Conservation Society and have been supporting both the Great British Beach Clean and the Beachwatch programme since 2018.
Beachwatch is the Marine Conservation Society’s national beach cleaning and litter survey programme, running year-round with thousands of volunteers across the UK helping to care for the coastline.
Among these weirder items found on the beaches, the pandemic has also impacted the type of litter washing up on UK beaches, with the charity’s Great British Beach Clean report revealing that almost 30% of beaches had discarded PPE on them, posing a significant threat to wildlife. Disposable masks shed microplastics that can be ingested by marine life, whilst sea birds can become entangled in the straps. 70% of inland picks also found PPE, and it’s only a matter of time before these find their way into our ocean, potentially polluting it for years to come.
To read more about the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch programme, register and see how to get involved, please visit the Beachwatch website.
