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Beach litter at Crantock beach Cornwall Natasha Ewins

Marine Litter

1 minute read

Litter in our seas can cause harm to our marine environment in a number of ways. These teaching resources will help students explore and understand the impacts of litter on our seas.

Getting started

Be sure to read our getting started guide first. The guide tells you how our lessons have been designed to be used, and gives you a breakdown of the features included in each one.

1. What is litter?

This lesson provides an introduction to what litter is, how it reaches our seas, and how long it takes to break up in our environment.

Includes an interactive litter timeline activity and looking at real waste items students bring in from home.

street litter

Credit: Jon Tyson

What is litter? Lesson plan (ages 5-7)

2. How clean are our seas?

This lesson gives an overview of litter pollution in our ocean, looking at why it’s an important issue and focusing particularly on how animals are affected by litter.

Hawksbill turtle entangled in a discarded fishing net Mohamed Abdulraheem

Credit: Mohamed Abdulraheem via Shutterstock

How clean are our seas? Lesson plan (ages 5-7)

3. Travelling from source to sea

Use this lesson to explore how litter reaches our seas, with an activity mapping out your school or group's connection to the ocean and studying real beach clean data.

Drinks litter in Scotland

Credit: Catherine Gemmell

Travelling from source to sea Lesson plan (ages 5-7)
Marine Litter image reel

4. Taking action on litter

Explore litter in the environment near you and take action by going on a litter pick, analysing the data you record, and creating a campaign or poster to raise awareness of the problem.

Volunteer picking up beach litter at Great British Beach Clean on Eastney Beach Portsmouth GBBC Billy Barraclough

Credit: Billy Barraclough

Taking action on litter Lesson plan (ages 5-7)

5. Artivism

Learn how environmental artists have used art to take action on marine litter and other social issues. Then create an artivism (art and activism) piece to raise awareness amongst your school and local community of the problem of marine litter.

Wave of Hope , Hillhead Primary Glasgow - Kirsty Andrews

Credit: Kirsty Crawford

Artivism Lesson plan (ages 5-7)
Artivism presentation

Extra resources