Five local organisations, Jersey Electricity, Jersey Gas, Close Finance, Probation Service Community Service Scheme and the Jersey Evening Post have adopted beaches to clean and will be fanning out across the Island this Sunday.
Members of the public are now being invited to join in by coming to one of the sponsored beaches – Green Island, Havre des Pas, Grève de Lecq, Bel Royal and Bouley Bay – between 9 am and 12 noon.
A sixth beach sponsor, Santander, will be working on Ouaisné beach on 15 June.
‘This initiative is for young and old alike to keep us all focused on how important our environment is for future generations,’ said organiser Julie Settle of EC Events, a sister company of the JEP.
‘Our beaches are amazing and it’s important for us to keep them so, while being aware of the bigger micro plastic issues in our oceans. It’s about bringing communities together. So, if you are a school, WI group, company social club – everyone is welcome to join in the coastal clean-up this Sunday.’
The JEP has joined forces with Littlefeet Environmental for the event. Already this year Littlefeet volunteers have collected over two tonnes of marine debris.
Littlefeet co-founder Andy Farmer said people in Jersey are becoming more responsible on the beaches and more engaged in clean-up efforts.
‘We have seen a shift in our numbers this year,’ he told the JEP. ‘We used to get about half a dozen volunteers but now we regularly have 20 to 30 and one week we had over 200 people out.’
More and more people are reducing their use of plastic, he said, and he credited beach cleans like Sunday’s with raising awareness and spurring change.
Volunteers should bring a re-usable bag and gloves and are encouraged to wear suitable clothing, sunscreen and a hat.
The clean-up efforts this weekend complement the marking of World Oceans Day tomorrow. Over 2,000 organisations globally now participate in activities in support of the oceans’ health annually on 8 June.
The idea of a dedicated day for ocean health was first suggested by Canada at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.
