Irish Water working in partnership with An Taisce’s Clean Coasts organised a very successful beach clean in Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal last Tuesday. There were over 50 participants from the Rossnowlagh Ramblers, the Ballyshannon Regeneration Group, and Irish Water staff as well as the Clean Coast team.
The rubbish that was collected was in line with what is visible on most beaches and included rope, fishing nets, plastic bottles, cigarette butts, coffee cup lids, towels, cardboard and timber. The group also discovered a large amount of rubbish that had been dumped on the scenic beach the previous day which was very visible to passers-by. This included an oven, a fridge and other electrical equipment as well as general household waste. The larger electrical items were removed by Donegal County Council as well as the 30 plus bags of rubbish that were collected on the day.
Siobhan Sheil, Irish Water was delighted with the turnout and commented: “Clean Coasts gave a very informative presentation about the types of seaweed present on the beach and the types of litter commonly found on beaches to the group. It was a great opportunity for everyone to talk about their local environment and witness first-hand how passionate the local community is about protecting their beaches.
“This is just one of a number of beach cleans being organised by Irish Water across the country, with the next one organised for Strandhill Beach in Co Sligo on October 15.”
Following the beach clean, Clean Coasts also talked about what not to flush down the toilet as part of their Think Before You Flush campaign which is supported by Irish Water. Laura Robinson, a member of the Rossnowlagh Ramblers explained that the group regularly carry out litter picks on the beach outlining what items they find and how they reuse and recycle what they can. For example, they regularly pick up towels that have been left behind which they wash and donate to charity if they are fit for use or else donate to animal sanctuaries.
For more information on how to can get involved in a litter pick at your local beach please check out the An Taisce website http://www.antaisce.org/education/programmes/clean-coasts
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