The Marine Conservation Society is calling for volunteers across the UK to join them at the coast for a week of beach cleaning and litter surveying throughout the country in September, Oceanographic magazine reported.

Last year, volunteers collected over five tonnes of litter, with an average of 3.85 items found for every metre of beach surveyed across the UK.

“We wouldn’t be able to do the work we do at the Marine Conservation Society without the support of our volunteers heading out to the coast to collect vital information on what’s polluting our seas. With beach cleans happening across the UK, from remote beaches to busy seaside resorts, there’s so many ways to get involved and support us this year. If you can’t make it to the beach, you can still take part by doing a local litter pick and survey where you live,” said Clare Trotman, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society.

At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, 75% of all litter collected was made from plastic and polystyrene. From production to disposal, plastic has a direct impact on the ocean’s capacity to combat the climate crisis. Manufacturing plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Most plastic is produced using fossil fuels, meaning more plastic production results in increased carbon emissions. Plastic is also entering the food chain, from tiny phytoplankton to ocean giants, like whales.

“All of this is an alarming picture of the state of our seas, but each and every volunteer who joins the Great British Beach Clean helps us research the scale of pollution in the UK. This research is vital to stop pollution at source, and we know it works. Cleaner beaches will support a healthy ocean, and a healthy planet,” explained Dr Laura Foster, Head of Clean Seas at the Marine Conservation Society.

The full story in Oceanographic can be read here and you can join the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean as an organiser, or volunteer, by signing up via the charity’s website here.