A humpback whale of marine litter fouling our seas every year
MORE than 34 tonnes of rubbish is being deposited on Guernsey’s beaches every year.
That is the stark findings of a report published by the Clean Earth Trust, which is calling for action.
The Marine Litter Report contains analysis of 122 beach litter collections carried out by volunteers during 2021.
Policy officer Paul Bugden said the report was a ground-breaking piece of citizen science demonstrating the shocking impact of marine plastic pollution in Guernsey. ‘It is a call for action, which we will be addressing with the States of Guernsey,’ he said.
In 2021 the trust’s volunteers spent over 2,000 hours on beach cleans, logging 48,924 individual pieces of marine litter that weighed over two tonnes, more than the weight of an average car.
The analysis of the litter shows that 76% of the items were plastic and 33% of all items were single-use plastic.
After miscellaneous plastic, the most common item found was cigarette butts, with volunteers picking up 7,275.
Using this data the Clean Earth Trust was able to estimate the likely quantities of marine litter fouling the Bailiwick’s beaches every year and came to a total weight of rubbish in excess of 34 tonnes – the approximate weight of a humpback whale.
Armed with the findings from this report, the trust will be launching a petition calling on the States to ban the supply of certain single-use plastics and calling for plastic reduction government wide.
The funding for the report came from the The Royal Bank of Canada through its Tech for Nature programme, which supports new initiatives for addressing environmental challenges.
Managing director Lisa Barnett said: ‘We are thrilled to support The Clean Earth Trust’s vital work and the production of the report in Guernsey. Supporting initiatives such as this echoes RBC’s commitment to our communities and the climate.’
The trust hopes to expand next year’s surveys to include microplastics – fragments of plastic less than 5mm in length.
‘We want to make the surveys even more scientific,’ said Mr Bugden.
‘This will involve taking water samples to find out exactly how many particles there are in our waters.’
The Trust’s beach surveys continue this Saturday, with a beach clean at L’Eree from 9am and11am. The trust welcomes new volunteers with all equipment provided.
