The UK produces enough waste to fill the Albert Hall every two hours!

RSPB Mersehead Blog 17^th – 23^rd September 2022

Litter remains a real problem for our wild places - whether it's the local park, roadside verges, or the hedgerows that line our streets and roads. These places are nature's home. Imagine if someone threw coffee cups, takeaway wrappers and tin cans in your bedroom!

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) over 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally every year with at least 8 million tons ending up in our oceans every year. The main sources of marine plastic pollution are thought to be land-based with urban run-off, inadequate waste disposal, illegal dumping, industrial activity and sewer overflows all contributing to 80% of marine litter.

The impact on the marine environment is devastating with ingestion, suffocation and entanglement causing the death of millions of marine wildlife each year. Seabirds, whales, fish and turtles all mistake plastic waste for prey with many dying of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic. They also suffer from lacerations, infections, the reduced ability to swim and internal injuries.

Last weekend, we joined forces with the D&G Eco-Warriors and took part in the Great British Beach Clean, cleaning a section of the beach at RSPB Mersehead. The Great British Beach Clean is a week-long citizen science event where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK. Litter data collected over a 100m stretch of each beach is collated by the Marine Conservation Society and helps to drive their conservation objects.

Across the 100m sample area at Mersehead, more than 95% of the items recorded were made from plastic. Plastic drink bottles were by the far the most common item recorded with two balloons, some scrap metal and one metal drink can the only items falling outside of the plastic category.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered on the day helping to keep the Mersehead beach tidy.

Photos by Dave Jackson

At RSPB Mersehead we manage over 3km of shoreline which we attempt to keep as clean as possible. Our efforts began in earnest 4-years ago and the difference is remarkable. Large items of litter which had built up over the years have gradually been removed and the focus of our beach cleans are very much on the smaller items. This is reflected in the relatively small pile at the beach clean collection point last Saturday. The photographs below show the amount of litter collected in January 2019, February 2020 and September 2022.

January 2019

February 2020

September 2022

Gathered in the Irish Sea any floating debris is moved by winds and sea currents until it washes up on our beaches. With each new tide, new marine litter is deposited. Volunteer action makes a big difference to our amazing coastline as well as demonstrating how much we care for the environment we share with wildlife.

Take action against marine litter and join us at RSPB Mersehead for our next beach clean in collaboration with the Solway Firth Partnership.

The state of our oceans has a massive impact on the birds and wildlife which rely on the beautiful wetlands and shores which surround our coastlines. Find out how green you are and what positive changes we can make by reading the RSPB’s Green Living facts. If everyone did something, it would add up to something big!

Reserve Announcements:

Upcoming events:

*Flooding - Please note that Mersehead nature reserve is prone to flooding during periods of high rainfall and/or strong winds and tidal surges. To avoid disappointment at these times, please contact the reserve in advance of your visit by email in the first instance at mersehead@rspb.org.uk or check the RSPB Dumfries and Galloway Facebook Page for daily updates.