Action Against Litter – Newsletter Issue 5
What’s been happening…
Bethesda Coach Park
In response to a request from councillors, community litter picking groups and local residents, we organised a litter pick at the Bethesda Coach Park, Cliftonville, on Friday 6 May.
A 17-strong team of councillors, council officers and residents collected over 35 bags of litter, made up mostly of paper and cardboard that had been blown from the recycling centre in recent strong winds.
Lisa Collingwood, our Education Officer said: “Well done and a huge thank you to all that came along and helped on Friday, a fantastic collaboration and effort from all.”
Following the litter pick, we are updating and improving the signage at the recycling centre.
Friends of Botany Bay
On Saturday 16th July Friends of Botany Bay organised volunteers to hand out bags to visitors to use to dispose of litter and avoid rubbish being left on our beautiful Blue Flag beaches. TDC supplied the Keep Britain Tidy bags, and The Palm Bay Fish Bar also helped out. Visitors to Botany Bay beach responded well to the warm welcome of volunteers, and younger volunteers enjoyed taking part in a two minute beach clean.
Great work Friends of Botany Bay and thank you to all visitors and volunteers who got involved and took the time to care for our environment, keeping our coastline clean and safe and for helping to protect our sea and wildlife!! You are amazing…
Are you planning a litter project or initiative that you would like to propose to TDC? If so, our new registration form is online and you can find it on our Educational Resources webpage.
Litter Picking Equipment
Southern Water sponsored equipment is giving litter picking independence to over 250 litter pickers district-wide, which is absolutely brilliant!
TDC sourced the litter picking equipment from an environmentally responsible and sustainable Cornish seaside business, Waterhaul. The equipment is made from recycled ocean plastic, fishing nets and face masks.
Over the lifetime of the equipment it will help fill many bags, keeping our environment and community safe, healthy and clean, and it’s made from litter that may also have once been litter on the end of your stick, how fantastic is that?
Friends of Botany Bay and Kingsgate: “Thanks to Southern Water we have just received a high quality, British made litter pick sticks, all made from recycled materials.
If you’re a local group who’d like to host a litter pick or beach clean anywhere in Thanet, we’d be delighted to help with the loan of equipment to help. Just PM through Facebook or e-mail info@botanybaykent.co.uk.”
Cigarette Ballot Bins
We have received funding for cigarette ballot bins which will soon be installed at our main beaches and towns! Ramsgate Town Council are also teaming up with TDC to help with this project. If you would like to get involved, please email education@thanet.gov.uk for more information.
Thank you South Eastern Rail for installing at Margate and Ramsgate train stations, look out for these across our district.
Refill Campaign
We have also partnered with Refill. Every year around the world we create more than 300 million tonnes of plastic – and half of this is single-use. One of the worst offenders are plastic bottles, with a million of them sold every minute around the world–a figure that’s expected to grow by 20% by 2021.
Here in the UK, not only does our ‘lunch on the go’ habit generate 11 billion items of packaging waste a year, but we get through a whopping 2.5 billion coffee cups each year –enough to stretch around the world roughly five and a half times!
The Refill campaign has already prevented over 100 million pieces of plastic at source so we know we have the power to create a wave of change. By connecting people to places they can shop, eat and drink without the pointless packaging, we’re helping prevent plastic pollution and making ‘reduce, reuse, refill and repeat’ the new social norm.
In the UK, we’re lucky to have some of the highest quality drinking water in the world. Shockingly, a recent global study of bottled water brands found tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in over 90 per cent of samples. That’s enough to make anyone reach for their reusable bottle and start refilling! For more information email education@thanet.co.uk
We have also been liaising with Surfers Against Sewage to help work towards a plastic free Thanet! We will update you with more exciting news soon.
Feeling Thirsty?
The Thanet Visitor Information Centre at Droit House on Margate Harbour Arm has joined the fight against single use plastic and is now offering FREE water bottle refills.
Not only does this help the environment, but it also keeps you lovely lot nice and hydrated. Pop in and see the lovely team and they will be more than happy to fill your bottle with chilled water.
For more locations around the Isle where you can get refills you can download the Refill app.
The Visitor Information Centre is now a stockist of a range of seashore Field Study Guides. From seaweeds and coastal flowers to lichens, these guides are great if you’re out and about the coastline this summer.
Beach Tannoy Project
This Summer we have planned the introduction of Educational Interventions such as using tannoy messages to help to save lives every year. Using the concept to educate beach users to keep our environment safe, clean and healthy is a great educational intervention tool.
The overall aim of the campaign will be on promoting positive behaviour change on our beaches and encouraging beach users to respect and keep our beaches clean, use the nearest bin or take litter home. Education empowers others and helps influence social norms. Educating visitors in problem littering areas such as our 19.5 miles of coastline will benefit everyone: residents, tourists, visitors, second home owners and also our oceans and wildlife.
Beach Clean – 20 August 2022
Join staff from Kent Police and Thanet District Council, along with volunteers from Rise Up Clean Up, for a community beach clean event on Margate Main Sands.
All equipment provided by Rise Up Clean Up.
Saturday 20 August 2022 at 7pm. Meet at the Lifeguard Station at Margate Main Sands.
RUCU are hosting weekly beach cleans on Margate Beach every Friday throughout the Summer, check out their Instagram account riseupcleanup
Bird Flu Advice
Please make sure you check the latest guidance:
Ramsgate Litter Forum
Ramsgate litter Forum are working towards organising events for the Big Green Week 24th – 2nd October https://greatbiggreenweek.com/ the Great Big Green week is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature, look out for these events or contact education@thanet.gov.uk for more information.