Final call for huge coastline clean up

There are only four days left to register for a gigantic county-wide effort to remove litter from Cork’s coast.

Over 750 volunteers have already signed up in Cork for the annual Clean Coasts’ Big Beach Clean, taking place from 18-20 September.

With registration closing on Monday, organisers are issuing one last rallying call to volunteers and groups across the Rebel County.

The initiative invites individuals, families, and communities to come together, clean their local coastline or waterways, and contribute to a global marine conservation effort.

Last year’s Beach Clean saw an estimated 9.2 tonnes of litter removed by over 1,500 volunteers in Cork.

Bronagh Moore, An Taisce’s Clean Coasts manager, said it’s now more important than ever for communities to play a part in protecting the ocean.

She said: “We encourage everyone, no matter your location, to get involved and record your findings. By working together, we're not only cleaning our beaches and waterways, we're showing policy makers and world leaders that protecting our ocean and waterways is a priority for us.”

The Big Beach Clean is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), a global initiative led by Ocean Conservancy to mark the end of the bathing season. In 2025, Big Beach Cleaners were a part of over 630,000 volunteers world-wide that took part in the ICC.

On a national level, over 500 groups registered to host a clean-up in Ireland for the Big Beach Clean 2025, with almost 11,000 volunteers ultimately removing approximately 60 tonnes of litter from Ireland’s marine environment.

Individuals or groups registering for this year’s clean will receive a clean-up kit (while stocks last) containing all materials needed to run their beach clean and to record litter data.

Visit cleancoasts.org for more information and to get involved.