Irish environmental programme Clean Coasts is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. In honour of this milestone, over 300 groups in Ireland have registered to carry out a clean-up during the week around World Ocean Day, with a number of clean ups organised in the area.
Statistics show that 70% of litter in our ocean comes from land-based activities. Litter from towns and cities can get into our waterways and stream, or get caught on the wind and travel out the coast and become marine litter. For this reason, wherever you are in the country, we can all have an incredibly positive effect on our natural environment and coast by cleaning up our local spaces.
Clean-ups will be happening in groups of all sizes, from individuals, friends and families to community groups, tidy towns groups, schools, sports groups, etc… and they are set to happen in different locations, not necessarily at the seaside.
In County Tipperary for instance, events will be held in Burncourt, Cahir and Clogheen. In County Waterford, 9 events are scheduled, including at Clonea Beach, Whiting Bay, Tramore Strand and Cheekpoint. Volunteers who haven’t registered their own clean-up but still want to get involved are encouraged to join the public beach clean happening at Clonea Beach.
To date, there are 64 clean-ups arranged in Co Cork, including at Fountainstown, Hollyhill, Cape Clear Island, the Marina, Cobh, Cush Beach Osterhave, Passage West Shoreline, Ballinhassig Village, etc
Clean Coasts are thrilled to see so many groups and individuals stepping up across Ireland to help protect our ocean and celebrate Clean Coasts’ 20th birthday and want to take this opportunity to thank and celebrate the efforts of all individuals and groups who have been protecting the Irish marine environment, whether they have been involved with the programme since 2003 or this is their first time joining the initiative.
World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on June 8th to highlight the important role the ocean has for our life and the planet. For 2023, the focus of World Ocean Day will be on the 30×30 campaign meaning that for us to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilize our climate, it’s crucial that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean are protected by the year 2030.
Marine litter has become a global problem for humans and marine life alike. However, communities around Ireland have demonstrated their desire to be part of the solution by taking part in several beach cleaning calls to action. Making sure litter is collected and disposed of properly at the source is vital for a cleaner ocean and a greener world for all of us to enjoy.
People who haven’t registered their clean-up can still join an existing one. For more information, please visit the Clean Coasts’ event page on Eventbrite.ie
