Scottish Coastal Clean Up: Berwick to Edinburgh
Lil is delighted to again be co-ordinating the Scottish Coastal Clean Up - Edinburgh to Berwick Upon Tweed from June 4 to June 8. Grab some mates, your gloves and help us #dolilthings by picking up litter at a beach or by a waterway near you!
With huge thanks to Taylor Wimpey East Scotland for making Lil’s contribution possible, we’re thrilled to help our communities take part in what’s an even bigger event this year, with Caledonian Horticulture taking on more of the East coast, right up to Aberdeen. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from joining in from further afield, please just plug in your planned clean on our map .
If you are already doing a litter pick, or do this as part of your job - thank you!
Please do share what you do so we can say thank you properly, and celebrate you. It’s not just us being nice, and we are super grateful, but importantly the more of us we can show are picking up litter, the more it encourages others. It helps them see this as our new norm.
HOW TO TAKE PART
Join with your community group, family, friends or just yourself, select a time and place, and then let us know by popping a pin on the ethermap. You can also see litter picks you can join near you.
For the ethermap, there are no accounts or log ins required, just click on the top right “add marker” and click on your planned location.
This really helps us to ensure we’ve got a great spread of litter picks across the coast. It helps us in evaluation too, to let everyone know just how many of us have turned out to #dolilthings for our coast.
Feel free to join our Facebook group to keep up to date with any announcements, tips, community support and more.
Enjoy the great outdoors and clean our coast!
Always remember to pick with care - this means beware sharp and hazardous objects, leave any liquids inside bottles, check old BBQs are not hot. Wear gloves or use litter-pickers, or at a minimum wash your hands with soap and water immediately after.
Always take care at the beach, check the tides and other hazards. See our top tips below.
Please take the litter home with you, weigh it if you can, and sort your litter into what can be recycled wherever possible. Please let us know how much you got either in the Facebook group, or email hello@dolilthings.org
Share your involvement! Please tell others about your litter pick, take photos and tag us @dolilthings, or make a group event on Facebook to share, and tell us about it through the Facebook group or email so we can celebrate your involvement too.
It might help promote your group or business, and it might feel a bit silly, but showing that we all do this as the norm helps others to do it too.
Coastal Clean Up FAQs
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Beach cleans give us a snapshot of the state of our oceans. Most litter sinks - typically less than 15% of the sea’s litter will float, or be washed ashore. But picking up that litter gives us a good idea of what’s out there, what the worst offenders are, and how we can help reduce that waste. It’s also a great day out - you’ll feel good for doing good, get outside and have a giggle or good chats about “OMG you found what?!”
WHY THIS WEEKEND?
This weekend takes in World Environment Day (Sunday June 5) and World Oceans Day (Wednesday 8 June) and this year also takes in the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations. We love the idea of giving our coast a clean for the Queen!
I NEED GLOVES/PICKERS - WHERE DO I GO?
We want everyone to be safe, so this is a great idea. If you have gardening gloves at home, could you use these? Lil has a limited number of litter picking gloves and tools available, and we’ll be seeing what more we can source. Get in touch hello@dolilthings.org
HOW DO YOU WANT US TO DO THIS?
However suits you and your group best. Some groups are setting a meeting place and time, others are letting their pickers know where to bring their rubbish to once collected, and allowing people to go out anytime that suits them over the weekend. It’s whatever works best for each group. We do ask that you pop a pin to show the main area of focus, just so we can help mop up any areas that aren’t covered.
WHY DON’T WE JUST DO OUR OWN CLEAN?
Numbers and statistics help make a greater case for change. If we can show how much we’ve collected from the entire coastline, we can together make a bigger noise for change - we need to turn this litter off at the tap, to not need future beach cleans. You sharing your litter with us will help that fight.
WHAT IF WE FIND SOMETHING THAT’S TOO BIG TO CARRY?
We have some super volunteers heading out in boats and vehicles for exactly these items. We would ask that you use the What3Words app to specify the location and email the location and details of what to pick up to kate@frmrecycling.co.uk
LOOK OUT FOR SEA MONSTERS
We are inviting everyone to create a sea monster with the rubbish they find - they can be imaginary, depict the problems facing the ocean, just fun or a real creature. See our Facebook group for ideas on how these might work and please tag us #lilmonsters for any you spot!
TOP TIPS- please share
If you are organising a group of any sort please ensure they are aware of these points too.
- if the weather's nice the coast and the CARPARKS will be busy! Please consider how you'll travel, could you cycle, are you comfortable sharing a car, and if by car where you will park if the beach car park is full. Please be respectful of nature and local communities when parking. Don’t forget your water bottle, sunscreen & hat!
- its BIRD NESTING SEASON along the coast so watch where you put your feet (they nest in the grassy dunes and on the sand). Stay out of the more undisturbed areas if pissible and be mindful of disturbing them please.
- related to above, if you're taking your DOG(S) with you please keep them on a lead or under close control. I'll be leaving mine at home cos he ain’t trustworthy!!
- Don’t forget your gloves/hand sanitiser
- did you remember to drop a pin with a few details on the map? You can do it here https://getethermap.org/m/scottishcoastalcleanup
- Most rubbish can go in a bin bag. Sharps (glass, needles, anything dangerous) should go in a tub (old icecream tub is ideal) and be clearly marked as 'SHARPS'. Big bits that are to heavy/big to lug off the beach can be collected. If you get a What 3 Words (available in your app store -see above) location for it and email that to Kate@frmrecycling.co.uk Caledonian Horticulture will arrange for its collection.
- Please STAY SAFE. Remember your risk & health and saftey in undertaking a clean is your reaponsibility. If you have organised a public group you should carry out a risk assessment in advance and brief attendees accordingly.
- the following sites have TOILET facilities:
. Fisherrow – car park west of the harbour
· Port Seaton- Corner of Promende and Links Road
· Longniddry - car parks
· Gullane- access route to the beach from the car park
· Yellowcraig- car park
· North Berwick- off Quality St
· Belhaven Beach- Linkfield car park and Shore Road
· Dunbar – Bayswell Road
Please post your photos of you, your team/friends/family, say where you are, show us your finds (most surprising, grossest, useful always good to see!) and tag us @dolilthings and FRM @CaledonianHorticulture plus #ELbigbeachclean #dolilthings & #LilMonster if you make a sea monster. We cant wait to see you all in action! :-)
what else is happening?
Throughout the weekend we will be celebrating all the organisations and individuals that work so hard to keep our beaches and coastline clean and free from litter. Do blow your own trumpets in your local press and we will blow them for you via our channels too!
The Scottish Seabird Centre is holding a Marine Fest from 4th to 12th June. Lil is running a waste workshop - looking at household waste and how you might reduce it as part of the event, as well as a Fashion Revolution swish. You can also come see us at the Meadows Festival June 4-5.
Thanks for getting on board with the Big Beach Clean! We hope you will have a safe, enjoyable time and are so grateful for your enthusiasm!!
Thank you!