Volunteers remove more than 8.8 tonnes of beach litter
Cillian Ferry
Close to 1,500 volunteers from Cork removed over 8.8 tonnes of litter from the county’s towns, villages, coastline and inland waterways, during the Big Beach Clean weekend this year.
Nationwide, an estimated 58 tonnes of marine litter was removed over the course of the clean thanks to the incredible efforts of 9,700 volunteers who rallied from coast to coast for this annual call to action.
Held to mark the end of the Irish bathing season, and to coincide with the International Coastal Cleanup by Ocean Conservancy, the Big Beach Clean took place from 18 to 20 September this year. This annual event combines beach-cleaning with a global citizen science action, to record data on the quantities and categories of litter items found along our shores.
Among Cork’s 1,500 volunteers, more than 40 joined Clonakilty Tidy Towns, Clonakilty Resource Centre Siúlóid group, and Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa, for a beach clean along Inchydoney beach. The group noted that while they collected multiple bags of beach litter, it was less than in previous years, which is evident that locals, visitors and beach users are becoming increasingly conscious of keeping our beautiful coastline clean and taking responsibility for the environment.
Bantry Tidy Towns, Bantry Bay RFC and West Cork Jesters volunteers tackled marine litter along Bantry Airstrip and the adjoining beach, while Cork Volunteer Centre teamed up with Mallow Tidy Towns, Macroom Tidy Towns and Youghal Tidy Towns to organise clean-ups in Redbarn, Mallow and Macroom.
The Big Beach Clean 2026 was supported by Kia Ireland, who helped fund clean-up equipment and supplies to the thousands of volunteers throughout the country who registered their clean-up actions. Various Kia dealerships across the country joined their local Clean Coasts groups for their clean-up events during the Big Beach Clean weekend.
The three most common litter items removed during the Big Beach Clean weekend last year included fishing related waste, cigarette butts and plastic pieces. This is in line with both EU and international data which regularly includes these items within top 10 recorded items.
According to the European Environment Agency, approximately 80% of marine litter comes from land-based activities. This means that litter from our inland villages, estates, towns and cities can end up polluting our inland waterways, seas and ocean. Litter can make its way to the coast through way of inland waterways, wind and animal activity.
Bronagh Moore, An Taisce, Clean Coasts Programme Manager said: “Once again it was great to see thousands of volunteers show up across the country to support the Big Beach Clean. Together we are making a tangible difference in keeping our beaches clean and in protecting our marine life. We thank every one of them for their contribution as well as the local councils that support them.”