Author Nikki Hills
This was the result after a two hour beach clean at Worthing. Volunteers came along to help clean up the beach as part of the Marine Conservation Societys Beachwatch Big Weekend, a national beach litter clean up. It was very encouraging to see that at first glance there did not seem to be too much litter on the beach but after a couple of hours the volunteers had bags full of rubbish. During the afternoon the litter that had been collected was used to create some rubbish art.
In 2011, Beachwatch Big Weekend volunteers across the UK collected over 2,000 bags of rubbish and on average over 1,700 pieces of litter were collected for every kilometre surveyed (www.mcsuk.org).
Whats the problem?
Litter is not only unsightly on our beaches but can cause major problems for wildlife in the sea. Marine wildlife can get entangled in litter and it can easily be mistaken for food which can ultimately lead to starvation.
As well as the beach clean Transition Town Worthing held the Worthing Coastal Heritage Fair in Steyne Gardens. We went along with our Marine Roadshow which was packed full of displays, activities and games all about our wonderful local marine wildlife and the problem of marine litter.
The Marine Roadshow is part of the Making Waves Project, which aims to raise awareness about our living seas and the need for protection. It is a partnership project between Sussex Wildlife Trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.