Two minute beach clean

I spotted this on Springwatch. Someone trying to harness the power of Social Networking to address a problem I feel strongly about:

2minutebeachclean

I would love to do it, but the distance from here to a beach rather rules me out. But it is not just beaches - plastic rubbish is everywhere, so I am doing my bit, collecting plastic rubbish from the allotment, and picking up any I pass by with my wheelbarrow on the way home. Digging at the allotent today I was amazed by how much synthetic carpet remains are in amongst the soil, along with broken bits of all maner of plastic. I'm determined to remove more than I introduce at least !

Over in the Library I mentioned Alastair Humphrey's Microadventures book. He too comments on the disgraceful amounrt of rubbish left on Scafell Pike by Three Peaks Challengers, and urges every like-minded person to do their bit by not only taking home their waste, but taking home a bit of somebody else's too. I will be on Scafell in August, and will follow his example.

Well we weren't up on Scafell two weeks ago, but walking on the lower paths of Cat Bells. And some thoughtful person/people had left two takeaway coffee cups, half full and complete with plastic lids, on top of a dry stone wall. And yes, we did pick them up, take them back to our campsite and dispose of them.

The only thing that makes me sad about campaigns like 2minute beach clean is that people need it drawn to their attention in the first place. The man and I have been doing it for years.

freebird wrote:
The only thing that makes me sad about campaigns like 2minute beach clean is that people need it drawn to their attention in the first place. The man and I have been doing it for years.

I know what you mean, and campaigns like 2 minute beach clean - and my mentioning it here - are mostly preaching to the converted. Well, I wasn't preaching really, more just lending support to the idea. I just hope that by mentioning it, those who already do remove trash will feel a bit less like an oddball for doing so. And that just maybe some of the people who create the trash, or just somehow fail to notice the plastic garbage littering the verge of almost every path and road - begin to see how big a problem it is becoming.

It really is hard for me to understand why people would travel to a beauty spot, and then go and litter it up.

Would love to be nearer to the coast, as this is something I would love to join in with.

With David Attenborough weighing in on plastic pollution in the oceans on the back of the Blue Planet 2 series, there does seem to be a bit of momentum building that something must be done about this. Let us hope the will translates into action.

The state of the roadside verges around here doesn't give me cause for optimism though, the council have just mowed back the undergrowth revealing a shocking amount of plastic, aluminium and glass litter. I assume a lot of people are simply blind to it ?

I too walk along our road from time to time and pick up the beer cans and plastic bottles that have been thrown into the hedges from cars.  I like to think that if there is no litter along the road some people, at least, may be less inclined to throw stuff from their car.

Litter-collectors here too.
I deplore the 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind' attitude that is prevalent now. The verges of the A31, which is our nearest fast main road, are appalling.
Not sure that encouraging people to throw litter out of their windows into bins is going to help - as I saw on the TV recently.