Volunteers collected 63 tonnes of litter during Clean Coasts’ annual Big Beach Clean this weekend.
More than 500 groups throughout Ireland participated in the event.
Volunteers with Clontarf Tidy Towns, who participated in the Big Beach Clean, collected more than 400 cigarette butts in less than two hours on Saturday along the Clontarf Promenade.
Green Party councillor Donna Cooney, who organises Clontarf Tidy Towns, said there needed to be more awareness of the hazards of smoking-related litter. “Cigarette butts have a huge impact on the marine environment. I don’t think people understand the interaction in the ecosystem between us and marine life and how dependent we are on a healthy marine life,” she said.
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Data cards
Although individual groups host their own clean-ups throughout the year, Clean Coasts spokeswoman Agnese Santoro said the annual event is unique because groups complete marine data cards on which volunteers record the number of each type of item, such as single-use plastic bags, food and beverage takeaway containers and smoking-related litter, that they find.
“Although many people don’t think the data cards are important, they play an important role internationally for us to help create policies and campaigns to protect the oceans,” said Ms Santoro.
Ms Santoro said cigarette butts posed a unique challenge as many people mistakenly assumed they are biodegradable. In fact, they take up to 10 years to decompose and, during that time, leak chemicals like formaldehyde, nicotine, arsenic and lead into the marine environment.
Not all clean-ups occurred on land. Some volunteers took to the seas on paddleboards, kayaks and surfboards to collect detritus. A few diving clubs descended underwater to remove litter.
Discarded fridge
Most marine litter originates in towns and cities far from the coast, so residents of non-coastal counties were encouraged to participate in the event this year, thereby helping to prevent litter from entering waterways at their source.
One volunteer group in Belmullet, Co Mayo, found a discarded refrigerator. Refrigerators contain chemicals like coolants that are dangerous to humans and the environment.
Fearne Morrissey (16) was volunteering with Clontarf Tidy Towns and said she loves taking care of the community and seeing things actively get better.
“I feel like with climate change and litter and eco-ness, sometimes it seems like such a mammoth problem, and you can become very disengaged and disempowered. By taking part, I feel more hopeful about the future of the planet because I can see things actually improve.”