Marine group in beach call North residents are being urged to adopt a beach after it emerged that several in Caithness and Sutherland have not been surveyed for litter as part of the Great British Beach Clean in more than a decade.
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According to the Marine Conservation Society (MSC), Sandside, Scrabster and Dunnet in Caithness along with Sangobeg in north-west Sutherland haven’t been surveyed as part of the annual event for more than 10 years.
MSC has been running the Great British Beach Clean for 26 years but its data on the volumes of litter on the northern mainland coast is limited.
The organisation is calling on local people to organise a beach clean to support its annual survey, which in
the past has been instrumental in helping push
for Scottish Government policies including the introduction of the 5p carrier-bag charge and a commitment to introducing a deposit return scheme
for drinks bottles and cans.
Calum Duncan, MCS head of conservation Scotland, said: “This year we’re looking to conduct events at previously unsurveyed beaches to help build an even clearer picture of how the plastic pollution problem is affecting Scottish beaches.
“Crucially, we need to further understand where the litter comes from so we can support action to help stop it at source.”
This year the Great British Beach Clean, which runs from September 20-23, will be sponsored by the Ocado Foundation, the charitable arm of the online supermarket. The foundation will be sponsoring the event to the tune of £300,000.
Lizzie Prior, MCS beachwatch officer, said: “This year we’re appealing for even more people to adopt a beach and become one of our army of beach clean organisers.”
