The Autumn Beach Clean and monitoring event was a success.

Eighty one volunteers gave up their precious time to help to identify plastics, metals, glass and many other assorted litter types in all weathers across the county.

What was collected?

All items were listed and counted and the results can be seen on this spreadsheet (pdf, 13kb) (opens in a new window) .

Plastics were yet again identified as top of the most dropped or discarded items of rubbish, amounting to 57% of all rubbish (pdf, 19kb) (opens in a new window) collected over seven Dorset beaches. The reason why plastics are such a problem is that they do not biodegrade. Much rubbish found on beaches comes from inland sources but many too from industries at sea. This affects the sea as a major world habitat for mammals and birds as well as the fishing industry and the fish we eat.

The media productions company 'La Mode Verte' have made a short video to highlight the global problems relating to plastics called  Plastic Shores. (opens in a new window) .  Some of the footage has been taken at Chesil Beach, Dorset.

What is being done to improve the situation?

To begin to address this problem Dorset Countryside Ranger Service are now working closely with Dorset Coast Forum, Jurassic Coast Team and other organisations from Christchurch to East Devon on a campaign for 'litter free coast and sea'. Please check out the Jurassic web site (opens in a new window) and the Marine and Beach Litter web page and get involved.

The sooner people take action the greater the chance of making an impact on this world wide problem.

• Sunday 17 April 2011

  On Sunday 17 April over 670 volunteers threw their towels to the side and volunteered for this year's Great Dorset Beach Clean.

• Sunday 19 September 2010

  Dorset Countryside's Coastal Ranger team invited volunteers to help monitor and clean five of our beaches.

• Coastal Ranger (Purbeck)
  Name: Jenny Penney
  Email: j.penney@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 228952
  Full details for Jenny Penney