Beach litter everywhere – it’s a shore thing!
16 April 2011
This week volunteers from all over Northern Ireland have worked together to support Tidy Northern Ireland’s BIG SPRING CLEAN! The Marine Conservation Volunteers in Carrickfergus were amongst them.
On Saturday, volunteers in Carrickfergus removed 20 bags of litter from the beach, including 2 bags of recyclables that Bryson Recycling has kindly volunteered to collect. Amongst the marine litter volunteers found an ancient smoke grenade, (which was quickly removed by the PSNI!), two shopping trolleys, a garden spade handle, a jar of peppered gherkins and a rusty oil drum!
Beach litter seriously harms wildlife! Birds and seals often become tangled up in litter which can choke them or prevent them feeding. Additionally, many animals accidently eat litter which can prevent them feeding or digesting food. We are sometimes lucky enough to spot leatherback turtles feeding in our waters in summer but marine turtles, of which all seven species are endangered, often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish - their favourite food item! Floating debris can also bring alien invaders to our shores, and these animals can compete with our native wildlife for food and destroy their habitat!
Volunteers really enjoyed the event, with their work helping both the environment and the community. Amanda Wilson, the organiser for the Marine Conservation Society’s events said, ‘It was brilliant to see such an impressive turn out for these events, including so many young people from Carrickfergus. It’s vital that as many people as possible get involved so we can show the culprits that littering isn’t cool! This forgotten form of animal cruelty and antisocial behaviour needs to stop.’ Amanda would also like to thank Carrickfergus Borough Council, Bryson Recycling and Tidy Northern Ireland for their help with the events and Coca-Cola for providing refreshments. To be kept informed of future events please email manda_wilson@hotmail.co.uk.
Related Page
For further information please contact:
Stephen Daye, Parks & Countryside Development Officer
Telephone: 028 9335 8000
E-Mail: parks@carrickfergus.org
