Ayr Rotary Club has stepped up its fight to protect the beaches of south-west Scotland against plastic pollution.
Not content with the annual beach clean, the Ayr Rotarians, who created, manage and maintain the 100-mile-long Ayrshire Coastal Path, have commenced a new initiative.
At strategic locations along the path, blue bins have been positioned to encourage walkers to pick up plastic debris for later collection by the coastal path volunteers.
Long-time Rotarian, Dr Jimmy Begg, who was the inspiration behind the Ayrshire Coastal Path and the associated Rotary Beach Clean, provided the catchy verse on the bins: ‘Blue plant, blue bin, pick up plastic, pop it in’.
Walkers along the Ayrshire Coastal Path are being encouraged to collect plastic waste along their route.
In recognising the threat of marine plastic pollution, the Ayr club has been well ahead of the environmental concern curve and, in 2006, it organised the very first South Ayrshire Rotary Beach Clean.
Since then, the event has taken place annually and now involves four other South Ayrshire Rotary clubs – Troon, Prestwick, Alloway and Girvan.
Each year hundreds of volunteers are enlisted to help clean a dozen or so remote beaches which add up to some 15 miles of coastline.
Hundreds of volunteers are getting involved to support the initiative every year.
Several environmentally-conscious farmers and landowners now help with tractors and trailers at this popular annual event.
Their contribution is much valued because they convey the filled bags from the beaches to the collection points where the local council lifts them for appropriate disposal.
This year, more than 360 volunteers collected 700 industrial bags of marine litter comprising an estimated 90% plastic material.”
Local community groups, including Ayrshire Coastal Path volunteers, private companies, scouting troops, cub packs, college teams and many environmentally-conscious individuals all help in this big community event to keep beautiful the scenic Ayrshire coastline.
This year, more than 360 volunteers collected 700 industrial bags of marine litter comprising an estimated 90% plastic material.
The team have collected over 8,000 bags, showing the real scale of the problem. 40% of plastic produced is for packaging, such as food and other household items, much of which has just a single use.
In total, some 8,000 bags have been collected since the first clean-up with a noticeable year-on-year increase in the plastic content.
In 2018, Ayr Rotary club participated in the BBC One Show’s special programme.
Three tonnes of large plastic items collected from two of the beaches was transported to London to be piled on the BBC forecourt to increase awareness of the threat of plastic pollution and the importance of recycling.
