Beach Clean How-To - Library - Precious Plastic

Beach Clean How-To

oncewaslost

Updated 11moUpdated 11 months ago

Guides

How to clean a beach efficiently and effectively.

< 1 hour

Easy

collection

More Information

1279

1 Choose a beach

The truth is, no matter which beach you visit, there is always trash to be found. To maximize the effectiveness of your cleanup, you may choose a beach that has recently had large numbers of visitors or conversely, one that is remote or has possibly not been visited in a while.

2 Pick a time

Timing is essential to effective beach cleaning. We suggest early mornings (just after sunrise) prior to other beachgoers setting up for the day. You'll find many items that have washed ashore overnight as well as items that were left behind from the day prior. Late evenings are also a strategic time as you can intercept and rescue left-behind items prior to them possibly blowing away or washing away with the tide. If there are people around, the items that are present might belong to them, so be cautious and courteous before removing items during times of high traffic. NOTE: After large storm systems/high swell and the day after any major holiday are also strategic times to collect large quantities of trash.

3 Do the deed

Heading out on your cleaning adventure is exciting as you never know what you will find. We advise to bring a bucket (typically 3-5 gallon) to put your treasures in. With buckets or baskets that are any smaller, you run the risk of items blowing back out or simply not having enough space for all of your findings. It is also a good idea to have a large cart or bag in case you need to make a courtesy drop as your bucket fills up. If cleaning with multiple people, you may combine buckets or set a centralized location for a drop off point.

4 Report your findings

Keep track of your impact throughout the year and document on the Precious Plastic Impact section of the Precious Plastic Community Platform. This helps us all get a better understanding of the impact we make as part the broader Precious Plastic community. Also, equally as important, report your findings to an app like Clean Swell. It is essential as documenting your findings contributes to research that is vital in determining/tracking sources of pollution and solutions toward ending the plastic problem.

5 Shout out

Shout it out to the world! The planet needs all the help it can get. By sharing your beach cleanup adventures on social media, you can inspire others to care for the earth as well. Tag us here at @once_was_lost ! We would love to share!

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