A beach clean organised by the Friends of Rye Harbour last Sunday found only half the amount of litter than can be normally expected, according to Dr Barry Yates, the Nature Reserve Warden. Between 40 and 50 volunteers turned out on what proved a fine morning. He attributed the lighter collection to the possibility that more people are now conscious of the environmental damage and it has become fashionable to take a litter-pick stick when out walking. Alternative explanations could be the state of the tide, or the recent beach-clean along the Rother river bank, with less flotsam reaching the shore-line.
Editor’s note: The organisation Surfers against Sewage (SAS) has recently issued this check list of most common items found:
Plastic bottles / bottle tops / cups / cartons
Coffee cups and lids
Plastic cutlery
Straws
Takeaway / on-the-go food packaging
Plastic bags
Bathroom plastics: Plastic toothbrushes, disposable razors, cotton buds, plastic sanitary items, shampoo etc. containers
Balloons
Individual condiment sachets/wrappers / sweet wrappers / lolly sticks
Polystyrene packaging / fast food containers
It must be remembered, though, that the rubbish found on the beach is only a tiny proportion of the total to be found in our seas and oceans. With the recent announcement that government has not only banned micro beads (most commonly found in cosmetics) because of their effect on sea life, but is considering imposing a deposit charge on ‘single use’ plastic bottles, awareness of the problem is growing but it is up to all of us individually to finally help to turn the tide on plastic.
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Photo: Library