Going for a walk in Scotland

Volunteering is a great way to give something back to the community. When I decided to go looking for a way to give some of my free time up, I wanted to do something that combined my love of the outdoors with my interest in environmental issues - the answer was beach cleaning!

After I a quick search on Google, I discovered The Marine Conservation Society - they organise beach cleaning events all over the UK - so I signed up straight away. My first clean up was on a beach on the west coast of Scotland. If you know me, you will know that the Scottish west coast is my favourite part of the world and it's important to me that is stays clean and safe.

We met up in the car park at 10am, went through the introductions, safety briefing and instructions on how to log and record finds. This is important as the Society are collecting data on the type and quantity of rubbish for future analysis which could lead to environmental directives being introduced: Think about the plastic bag charge - there has already been a huge positive impact on the environment since this 'tax' was introduced. Detailed instruction was given on the handling of broken glass and sharp objects (needles, pins, syringes, rusted metal...).

Everything was supplied; bags, pickers and bright safety vests. All we had to bring was some warm clothing, suitable gloves, walking boots and some lunch - pretty much the things we would take to go hiking anyway. The clean up lasted around 90 minutes. It was fun and informative. The other 'beach cleaner volunteers' were fantastic company and we all shared stories of our adventures as we walked the beach. It's nice to spend time in the company of like minded people.

All in all we collected over 32 big bags of rubbish! Much of this was recyclable, so even better news for the environment. I was shocked at the volume of broken glass bottles - surely all of this could have been disposed of properly by the people who brought them to the beach? Plenty of bins about... oh well...

The Marine Conservation Society publish data on the finds on their website - you should have a look, it's an eye opener! Kids are welcome to join in (you have to sign a consent form) and the Society are always looking to welcome new volunteers. Your time and effort will go a long way to protecting our wildlife and tourism. Everybody loves visiting a beach - but not one that is covered in broken bottles, tin cans and plastic bags.

Beach cleaning events take place all over the UK and it's easy to get involved. I enjoyed my experience and I am looking forward to my next beach clean. Hope to see you there 🙂

SW