The programme is one of the largest marine citizen science activities of its kind in the UK. Volunteers taking part will not only be clearing our beaches of litter, but help the Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading ocean membership charity, to gather vital data to create change for cleaner and healthier seas.

This year’s Great British Beach Clean is being sponsored by Ireland’s leading soup brand, Cully & Sully Soup, whose support is helping to raise awareness of marine litter and protect UK beaches from pollution.

To sign up for a beach clean, or organise your own, simply visit the charity’s website.

Key stats and facts

• At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, 5,416 volunteers conducted 428 beach cleans over 10 days, surveying 64,139 metres of coastline. A total of 129,391 pieces of litter were collected, filling 1,426 bags and weighing 7,476 kg.
• The Marine Conservation Society has recorded an average drop of 80% in carrier bags found on UK beaches since charges were introduced, showing that policies to reduce plastic work.
• Data collected during the Great British Beach Clean contributes toward the charity’s annual State of our Beaches report. Last year’s report recorded a 14% increase in drinks-related litter.
• The report also showed that nine out of 10 beach litter items found on beaches by Marine Conservation Society volunteers last year were made from plastic.
• Sewage plays a large part in the pollution problem. In 2023, over 29,500 sewage-related items, including more than 21,000 wet wipes, were recorded across the UK and Channel Islands, with sewage-related items present on 72% of surveyed beaches.
• Data from the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean contributes to a global database, International Coastal Cleanup.

Key messages:

• Data collected by volunteers during the Great British Beach Clean shows the positive result of policies like carrier bag charges, and how they work to reduce litter on our beaches.
• Plastic still remains the most common form of beach pollution – highlighting the urgent need for further action to tackle the single-use plastic problem such as charges, bans and deposit return schemes.
• The Marine Conservation Society is calling for governments across the UK implement world-class deposit return schemes for drinks containers including glass, plastic, and cans, without any further delay. Currently the proposed scheme is set to start in October 2027, but with Wales being the only country to include glass.
• The charity hopes that the recent bans on single-use plastics, such as cutlery, will lead to a noticeable reduction in the amount of single-use plastic cutlery polluting our beaches, much like the positive impact of the carrier bag charge.
• Sewage-related pollution, such as period products and wet wipes, are still prevalent on our beaches. Governments of the UK must turn the tide on pollution and end untreated sewage damaging our marine environment.
• You can support the charity by helping to clean up the UK’s beaches and collecting valuable data that supports efforts to address sewage pollution effectively.

ON THE DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME:

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society: “It’s fantastic to see real-world evidence of the effectiveness of policies such as carrier bag charges in tackling pollution from single-use plastics. There’s no denying that these measures have helped to reduce litter on our beaches. However, we cannot afford to become complacent.

“Drinks-related litter, such as bottles and cans, were found on 97% of UK beaches surveyed last year. We need wider policies such as charges, bans, or deposits on more single-use items where possible, including the proposed deposit return schemes for plastic bottles, cans, and glass. We must keep moving towards a society that repairs, reuses, and recycles.”

ON SEWAGE POLLUTION:

Rachel Wyatt, the Marine Conservation Society’s Water Quality Policy & Advocacy Manager:

“Our seas cannot sustain the deluge of sewage that is being dumped into our waterways on a weekly basis. Our beach clean volunteers find thousands of sewage-related litter items washed up on the beaches every year, but it’s not just physical pollution that is harmful to us and marine life. Raw sewage contains a cocktail of bacteria, viruses, harmful chemicals, and microplastics which is a disaster for our ocean. Governments of the UK must turn the tide on pollution and end untreated sewage damaging our marine environment, so that we can all enjoy sewage-free seas.”

ON VOLUNTEERING:

Clare Trotman, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “The work we do at the Marine Conservation Society simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, who help gather crucial beach litter data. This information is invaluable in shaping scientific understanding and driving the changes needed to protect our precious marine environment.

“With beach cleans taking place all over the UK and Channel Islands, there are countless opportunities to get involved and support us this year. And if you can’t make it to the beach, you can still contribute by organising a local litter pick and survey in your area.”

Cully Allen from Great British Beach Clean sponsor, Cully & Sully Soup, said: “We are excited to be part of the UK’s biggest beach clean initiative for a third year. As a B Corp, doing good is at the core of what we do. We are always striving to do better internally as a business, but we really enjoy when we get to encourage and join our customers in doing good. We are looking forward to getting stuck into the beach cleans again this year, serving up our soup to the SOUPer volunteers and taking direct action on marine litter.”

The following beach cleans are currently set to take place:

Find more information about the Marine Conservation Society at www.mcsuk.org.

The Reef-World Foundation – international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative – has launched a new coral bleaching toolkit in response to the 4th global coral bleaching event confirmed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) in April 2024.

The Green Fins Global Coral Bleaching Response Toolkit provides guidance to the marine tourism industry on how they can help manage and monitor the impacts of coral bleaching and get involved in recovery efforts. It features information about coral bleaching, including the causes, impacts and response strategies. The toolkit is compiled from a variety of readily available resources from multiple organizations and initiatives, such as ICRI, Coral Reef Alliance, Reef Check and NOAA, along with Green Fins materials, to ensure it is accessible to everyone. These resources cover methods for reducing local impacts, monitoring the reefs and engaging tourists and local communities.

The El Niño phenomenon has been present since February 2023, which has led to persistently warmer temperatures being experienced around the world and has affected the sea surface temperatures. Coral bleaching has been recorded in all ocean regions ever since. While this event is widespread and serious, there is still hope as bleached corals are not dead corals. Corals can survive bleaching events and thrive if they are given the time to adapt to the changing climate.

“Coral reefs are under a huge amount of stress every day and that reduces their chance of recovery from bleaching events,” said Chloe Harvey, Executive Director at The Reef-World Foundation. “However, this time around the scientists have been watching the data closely, so we’re prepared. We understand what it means and we know what we need to do to respond to it. This global event calls for global action to protect these vital ecosystems for generations to come.”

By equipping the industry with the necessary knowledge and tools, Reef-World hopes to empower these key stakeholders to play a crucial role in preserving the health and resilience of our precious coral reef ecosystems. Reef-World believes that with the right resources, the marine tourism industry can be a driving force in the fight against coral bleaching and contribute significantly to the long-term sustainability of marine environments.

With this momentum, other key players in the industry, such as PADI AWARE Foundation and NOAA, have gotten on board the campaign for more citizen scientists to help out in monitoring coral bleaching. With the toolkit available to all, The Reef-World Foundation is looking forward to more collaborative actions in the industry.

Explore the toolkit on Green Fins’ website: greenfins.net/coral-bleaching