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A third of the beaches had face masks and other protective gear washed up on their shores during an annual cleanup, conservationists said.
The Marine Conservation Society revealed that its annual Great British Clean in September found face coverings and gloves littering 30 percent of the beaches, and said these numbers were “certainly concerning.”
A volunteer is seen picking up trash and taking note of what he finds. Photo: Marine Conservation Society
Pieces of plastic and polystyrene were the most common items found. Volunteers also collected caps and lids, wet wipes, cigarette butts and plastic ropes in large quantities.
Their figures were backed up by data from the charity’s Source To Sea Litter Quest, where people collect trash from villages, towns and cities that often ends up on beaches.
The volunteers found that more than two-thirds (69%) of indoor garbage collectors contained personal protective equipment (PPE), designed to protect people from contracting coronavirus.
Great British Beach Clean coordinator Lizzie Prior said: “Considering that the use of masks only became mandatory in stores in England at the end of July, just over three months before Great British Beach Clean, the strong Increased PPE litter should be a word of warning about what could be a new form of litter polluting our beaches in the future. “
The charity is also calling for a bottle deposit take-back scheme across the UK, not just Scotland as almost all of the rubbish collectors found beverage residue.
This year an average of 30 containers, glasses and beverage caps were found for every 100 meters of beach.
In addition to garbage being harmful to the environment, it is also harmful to animals and wildlife.
The garbage collectors also found many plastic and polystyrene lids. Photo: Marine Conservation Society
Marine animals could eat the masks and gloves, which will not break down their systems, and end up dying, while land animals can become entangled in them.
Dr Laura Foster, director of clean seas at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “This year’s Great British Beach Clean data, in addition to the Source To Sea Litter Quest data, shows how crucial it is that Wales, England and Northern Ireland follow in the footsteps of Scotland and urgently introduce an all-inclusive deposit refund scheme.
“Despite the lockdown, with many of us spending more time at home, litter in public spaces has continued unabated.
“Almost every local garbage collector found at least one beverage container, which is incredibly concerning.
“An effective deposit refund scheme would bring the UK one step closer to a circular economy model and dramatically reduce the volume of single-use pollution on UK streets, parks and beaches.”
The garbage collectors were carried out over a period of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
To comply with the government’s guidance, each volunteer had a 100-meter stretch of beach for them and organized cleaning bubbles with family and friends.
