Great British Beach Clean

Why get involved?

It’s not just about keeping our beaches and streets looking good. Our coasts and seas are a haven for an incredible variety of wildlife which are put at risk by pollution. To keep our seas and the animals in them safe, we need your help.

All of the data you collect on the beach, on your street or in a local park helps us campaign for change, which means that your school can help turn the tide on ocean pollution.

You can run your own beach clean or Litter Quest anytime throughout the year, but take part during the third week of September to join a community of thousands of people all working to clean up our streets and beaches.

We’ve used data collected in previous years to make the case for the 5p carrier bag charges across the UK, and are campaigning for Deposit Return Schemes for all types of drinks containers. What’s more, we know policies like the 5p carrier bag charges work. Since their introduction from 2011 in Wales, we’ve seen a 55% drop in the bags we’re finding on beaches. The more data we collect, the more policies which we can push for to make beach and ocean pollution a thing of the past.

Our learning resources

We're encouraging schools to take part so students can see the impact of litter on our environment first hand.

Our education pack links to learning in Geography, Science, Social Science, English, I.T., PSHCE and Maths. It’s a great opportunity to run an innovative cross-curricular project across the week, building on knowledge and skills at each stage.

Download the pack below. It includes everything you need to know and all the resources you need to take part in the litter survey, as well as cross-curricular activity suggestions.

To make things simpler for you, we have also put together some health and safety guidance below.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at education@mcsuk.org.