A clean-up around the Irish coastline to mark World Ocean Day earlier this month resulted in the collection of 22.5 tonnes of litter, according to the environmental group Clean Coasts.
The clean-up on June 8th was part of the global initiative highlighting the importance of oceans “for our life and the planet”.
Clean Coasts joined forces with National Spring Clean for the second year running to provide volunteers and communities in Ireland with free clean-up kits.
More than 4,000 volunteers collected some 22.5 tonnes of litter at more than 230 clean-ups held both on land and by the coast to prevent litter pollution at the source, ensuring it does not end up in the ocean. Statistics have shown the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities that ends up in the sea or along the coastline.
Sinead McCoy, coastal communities manager with Clean Coasts, said on Tuesday that World Ocean Day was a great opportunity for individuals, groups and communities to take action for ocean health and to support a call for more protection of oceans.
“The amazing efforts shown on and around World Ocean Day, as well as the work of Clean Coasts volunteers all year round, are incredibly inspiring and provide a great deal of hope for the future of the world’s ocean,” Ms McCoy said.
Clean Coasts has more than 200 activities happening across Ireland this month to mark and support World Ocean Day.
Clean Coasts also celebrated the day with the release of a fourth “enjoy and protect guide” on wildlife photography for people wishing to enter its Love Your Coast amateur photography competition, as well as the general public who wish to capture the beauty of Irish coastlines while taking action to protect them.
Last month, two marine biodiversity guides were also issued that included a zones and habitats directory as well as a species directory to specify the area that certain wildlife (both marine and otherwise) exist in and a breakdown of the various marine and coastal life categories.
The World Ocean Day organisation supports collaborative conservation, working with its global network of youth and organisational leaders in more than 140 countries.
In 2021, the initiative changed its name from “World Oceans Day” to “World Ocean Day” to highlight the fact that humanity is connected by a large ocean as “this shared ocean supports all life on the planet, by producing most of the oxygen we breathe and regulating climate. No matter where we live, we all depend on the ocean to survive”.
Details of events scheduled for remainder of June are at cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/world-ocean-day
