ANNUAL BEACHWATCH CLEAN UP
The Marine Conservation Society’s annual Beachwatch litter survey and clean-up takes place this weekend. Volunteers will help wildlife by spending a couple of hours at a local beach, to tackle the problem of beach litter. It’s estimated that, globally, over a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles die every year from entanglement, or ingestion of plastics. MCS surveys have recorded a 90% increase in the amount of beach litter compared to 1994, with major sources being beach visitors and individuals, fishing debris, sanitary waste (particularly cotton bud sticks) and shipping waste. Over 4,200 volunteers took part during last year’s MCS Beachwatch weekend.