This week Beat 102 103, we looked at the importance of keeping our coastlines clean.
Did you know?
Approximately 10 million tonnes of litter end up in the world’s oceans and seas each year. Plastics make up 80% of all marine litter from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. It is estimated that 70% of marine litter is on the seabed, 15% is floating in the water column and 15% is what we find on our shores.
Why is cleaning our coastline of plastics and litter so important?
Marine litter kills, injures and causes pain and suffering and every year entails great economic costs and losses to people and communities around the world.
Impacts to Marine Life:
- Entanglement of marine animals
- Ghost fishing: lost or abandoned fishing gear that continues to catch fish
- Ingestion by marine animals
- Spread of alien species by marine debris
Impacts to People and Economy:
- Ingestion of micro-palstics
- Damage to fishing, fishing boats and gear
- Contamination of beaches
- Damage to the scenic quality of coastal areas
All you need to know about helping out in your local area:
Clean Coasts create a tangible improvement of Ireland’s coastal environment by supporting over 2000 community groups to host beach clean-ups, empower volunteers, facilitating marine litter surveys and complete a range of environmental focused activities in their region. To find a group or event near you, visit:
https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/break-up-with-plastic/
To find out more about the impact of pollution on our coastlines:
https://cleancoasts.org/
