Litter down as summer campaign comes to a close
Snapshot litter surveys on Portobello Beach carried out by Keep Porty Tidy, as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s campaign My Beach Your Beach, show a decrease in litter this summer.
A total of 64 items of litter were counted across 100m of the beach and prom at the end of the summer, versus 114 items on the same stretch at the start of the summer, and 293 items counted last year.
A combination of campaign activity, which encouraged beach goers to help care for the sand and sea, as well as the efforts of the growing Keep Porty Tidy group, which has been tackling litter head-on at the site are likely to have contributed to these results.
Funded by the Scottish Government and supported by SEPA, My Beach Your Beach has been running since 2018 to support bathing water quality improvements at a growing selection of Scottish beaches including Portobello, Fisherrow Sands and Kinghorn on the east coast of the country, and Ayr, Troon, Irvine and, this year’s addition, Saltocoats/Ardrossan on the west.
The campaign encourages beach stewardship and raises awareness of bad habits that can impact on the sand and sea. This includes leaving litter or dog poo on the beach, feeding and attracting gulls to the bathing water and blocking pipes by flushing ‘unflushables’ down the toilet or pouring fats, oils or greases down the drain.
The latest litter surveys highlight the importance of beach goers taking responsibility for their litter and using the bins provided, with 51% of litter (discounting cigarette stubs) coming from people eating and drinking on or near the beach.
Georgina Massouraki, Campaigns Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “It is very encouraging to see litter levels drop at Portobello beach this summer. These results show what can be achieved when everyone steps in to play a part.
“It has been great working in collaboration with the council and Keep Porty Tidy and seeing all the efforts that are being made locally to protect the sand and sea at this beautiful beach.
“We hope that everyone who enjoys Portobello is moved to support these efforts, never leaving litter for volunteers to clean up, stepping up and joining a beach clean, and also making sure they understand how their habits can impact on the quality of the beloved bathing waters we all share.”
With the summer bathing season over, My Beach Your Beach will continue to engage people near the campaign beaches through the winter months, particularly around indoor habits relating to pipes and drains in collaboration with local councils, businesses and schools.
A new classroom resource has been rolled out to 18 secondary schools locally, with an introduction to bathing water quality focusing on the two Portobello bathing waters – Portobello Central and Portobello West.
A writing assignment encouraging students to reflect on their favourite aspect of the beach and explain why that makes it worth protecting will be featured as part of the campaign going forward.
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