Plastic litter collected on beach cleans in Teignbridge is being recycled into marine plastic bins which are now positioned at many of the district’s popular beaches.
As part of the Ocean Recovery Project, Teignbridge District Council’s Resorts and Rangers teams have been working with Keep Britain Tidy and Exeter City Council’s Recycling team to tackle the plastic waste that can blight our coastline.
Working alongside #2minute beach clean, members of the public can now do their own mini beach clean and recycle any marine plastic off our beaches.
As a result of plastic litter collected, marine plastic bins are now alongside #2minute beach clean boards at Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Coryton Cove, Holcombe, Teignmouth and the Ness at Shaldon beaches.
Daily beach picking:
Teignbridge District Council’s Resort Manager Sarah Holgate said: “Most of the plastic waste gathered comes from the daily beach picking by our staff and from voluntary groups who book into litter pick.
“But with the #2minute beach clean boards and the new recycled plastic bins, awareness among those enjoying a beach walk is increasing. Many are doing their bit to protect the planet, picking up plastic and depositing it in the recycle bins provided by the Ocean Recovery Project.
Portfolio Holder Councillor Andrew MacGregor, who has responsibility for resorts at Teignbridge District Council, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Ocean Recovery Project and our colleagues at Exeter Recycling Centre and Keep Britain Tidy and to be completing a recycling loop.
Awareness:
“Keeping our beaches free of plastic is really important and initiatives such as this can make a huge difference, both in litter collection and increasing awareness of the importance of not throwing away plastic bottles and packaging”.
He added that recycling marine plastic waste locally in Exeter means that the amount of waste going to landfill is being reduced and our carbon footprint is kept low.
Ocean recovery project’s Neil Hembrow says: ‘We hope that, by ensuring we recycle the litter that is collected from beach cleans, we will encourage more people to get involved with cleaning their local beach. We need to capture and recycle as much of this resource as possible’.
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