HELPING TO CLEAN UP OUR COAST AND COUNTRYSIDE
This report has been reproduced by kind permission of Waterhaul.
Litter picking or beach cleaning is a great way to play your part in tackling the plastic pollution crisis locally, but did you know that it can also improve your mental health and wellbeing? The act of picking up litter from the ground is a simple action, but also an incredibly important one given that more than two million pieces of litter are dropped in the UK every day. However, its benefits aren’t just limited to the environment. Public Health England has recommended litter picking as a good way to boost mental and physical health, and there is a growing body of scientific research to support this. At Waterhaul, we’ve experienced first hand how recovering plastic pollution from the Cornish coastline makes us feel good and so we thought it was worth delving into the science to explore why. Given that litter picking has no age limit and can be carried out in any location, it is a very accessible activity, and can even be prescribed by health practitioners to improve people's wellbeing (known as green social prescribing). It can be something to keep the kids occupied, a group bonding activity for colleagues, a way for you to get outside and spend time in nature or an event anyone can get involved in with their local environmental group. So with all that in mind, how does litter picking help to improve your mental well-being? 1. LITTER PICKING KEEPS YOU ACTIVE Litter picking is a perfect excuse to get outside for some fresh air! The benefits of physical activity for our mental health are well known, as well as its ability to improve sleep, and create feelings of improved self-efficacy and confidence1. Litter picking is the perfect physical activity for those wanting to be more active and it can be taken at whatever pace suits you. It is also great if you prefer to have a purpose to your visit to the park or the beach, giving that sense of motivation to get out and get those steps in. This allows you to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of litter picking, whilst also exploring new places you might not have ventured before. Already active? Why not try adding a new dynamic to your exercise by incorporating quick litter picks into your outdoors adventures (we recommend compact, folding litter pickers for this), or perhaps even through plogging (a Swedish trend, consisting of a combination of jogging and picking up litter!). 2. LITTER PICKING KEEPS YOU IN THE PRESENT Litter picking is a great way to switch off and live in the present. Searching for litter requires some level of concentration which can distract you from worrisome thoughts. This can help you to live in the present moment, as opposed to your mind wandering into unwanted thoughts of the past or future. A scientific study explored this, focusing on how the process of litter picking can be used as a tool in art therapy in an attempt to bridge the psychological barriers to engagement with the outer world. Findings showed that the process of searching for discarded items made it easier for the individual to live in the present moment and helped to connect the outside world to their personal inner world. 3. LITTER PICKING CREATES A SENSE OF COMMUNITY Litter picks are ideal for meeting new people in your local communities. Whilst solo litter picks are always a brilliant option, there are also plenty of opportunities to share the experience with others. Taking part in a local litter pick and actively spending time participating in your community can help you meet new people and enhance your sense of belonging. Establishing that sense of community can be important for overall health and wellbeing, particularly for individuals experiencing loneliness and isolation, which has become even more widespread due to the pandemic. Scientific studies have documented the benefits of this involvement for those with serious mental illnesses, however, the health and social benefits are relevant for us all. If you want to get involved in any litter picks with environmental organisations, here are some of our recommendations: • Cleanup UK • Clean Up Britain • Surfers Against Sewage • Marine Conservation Society • Beach Guardian • UOcean 4. LITTER PICKING IS EASY TO FIT INTO A BUSY LIFESTYLE Whether your litter pick takes 2 minutes, 20 minutes or 2 hours, every piece of litter removed from the environment makes a difference! With all the environmental challenges we face, it can be overwhelming to know where to start to be part of creating positive change. Litter picking however, is a perfect meaningful activity that gives quick and rewarding satisfaction, allowing you to make a small but important impact in a short space of time. Litter picking provides anyone with the ability to drive positive change in their local environment. This adds an element of control, in a world where helplessness can be a common feeling shared amongst us. A great organisation is The 2 Minute Foundation, who encourage and inspire you to take two minutes of your time to clean up the planet. This is a great idea if you have a busy schedule but still want to see a planet without litter and plastic pollution – plus you might find one of our litter pickers made from recycled fishing nets on their beachside stands! 5. DOING GOOD FEELS GOOD! Cleaning up the environment is a rewarding feeling! Littering picking can bring that feel-good factor, as it provides a sense of achievement and can really boost your mood. With negative news cycles and rising eco-anxiety, we need this now more now than ever. By providing exposure to the natural environment, evidence has shown that those who litter pick can obtain a variety of psychological health benefits such as reduced stress, restored cognitive ability, and increased connection to nature4. We find litter picking can be particularly rewarding after stormy weather, which is also a time when people have typically been locked up indoors. It can be especially reinvigorating to head to the coastline after wild weather, when lots of plastic pollution has washed ashore. So, there you have it! Little effort is required and important benefits are gained, why not give it a try? And of course, don't forget to equip yourself with our recycled litter picking gear before you go! References 1. Physical activity and mental health: the association between exercise and mood, Peluso and Guerra de Andrade, 2005 2. Found objects in art therapy, Brooker 2010 3. The influence of sense of community on the relationship between community participation and mental health for individuals with serious mental illnesses, Terry et al., 2018 4. The beach as a setting for families’ health promotion: A qualitative study with parents and children living in coastal regions in Southwest England, Ashbullby et al., 2013
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I enjoy trying out new equipment which might make a difference to my litter picks, especially if they help the environment and Waterhaul is definately one of those companies!
Based in Newquay on the North Cornish coast, Waterhaul's founder, Harry Dennis was working as a marine scientist before working for a charity project engaging community action on plastic pollution. Having travelled the world for research and adventure, Harry witnessed the huge amount of lost fishing nets, known as 'ghost fishing' just floating across the oceans which is a big problem to all sea life and decided to investigate options to use these nets which often wash up on beaches during rough seas. I've found some myself washed up on beaches which are impossible to move without cutting down first, particularly on the Hebridean islands. After many months of recycling trials using these nets, Waterhaul produced the first prototype in 2018 - a pair of sunglasses. The frames are made 100% from fishing net and have a lifetime warranty meaning they will replace and recycle your frames forever! The Barberini Glass Lenses are the best available on the market. Have a look on their website. Back to litter picking equipment, the first item I tried out was Waterhaul's Beach Clean Bag. Priced at just £8.50, the bag is hand-made from upcycled sails, a very tough high quality fabric which can be used over and over again in place of disposable refuse bags which often have to be disposed of at the end of a litter pick after sorting the recyclables. The bags look great too! However, any sharp objects could damage the bag so please be aware of that. After use, you can empty the bag out for sorting and recycling and give the bag a quick rinse out and hang up to dry ready to use again. Waterhaul also created a folding litter picker where the handle, trigger and jaw components are made using 100% polypropylene fishing gear. The aluminium profile section allows you to easily access the cord which I had to adjust a couple of times during my first use. Although it's a great sustainable tool, I would be careful who I gave one to on my litter picks as I'm not sure they would take much rough treatment. That's not to say I wouldn't recommend them as they are a great product. A big plus is they are easily folded to put in your bag or back pack so you're not carrying it around the shops etc. when you've finished your litter pick and trying to buy something and then after you have paid, realising you left the shop without it! The litter pickers are available in different sizes and start from £12.00 each. Waterhaul make other products too including bag hoops and knives so have a look at their website which has their full story and lots more. You can also sign up to receive 10% off your first order. Visit them at: https://waterhaul.co Last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited on a tour of Grundon's Materials Recovery Facility (MRFs) and Energy From Waste Facility (EFW) at Colnbrook near Slough. As part of a group from The Felix Project (a food charity where I volunteer when in London), after our Health and Safety talk and donning our PPE, we walked up the the huge site which opened in 2012. Vehicles are continually arriving through the day with mixed recycling as well as general waste. The first area we saw was the yard where a crane was picking up metal units including filing cabinets which were crushed down while another area had bales of paper, plastics, and cans etc which were also baled up to take off site to be reprocessed and turned into new products. Once inside the building, we watched the process as recyclables travelled along conveyor belts where paper and card travels along while other recyclables drop through to a lower belt where a team of people were sorting any non-recyclables from the belt before the next area where a series of magnets collect any ferrous metals while another sensor recognises non-ferous metals including drinks cans. Glass is then passed through a sensor which will be diverted to another collection point. From here plastics are recognised by sensors where a blast of air magically sends them into the right direction whilst the remaining non-recyclables carry on their journey. We walked to another part of the building where we got a lift up to the 5th floor to see the control room and where we could see the EFW operations. In a corner of the room, a man was sitting on an 'armchair' with joysticks doing what many people do on holiday! If you imagine one of that machines full of soft toys which you to try to win by putting a coin in to operate the crane but on a much bigger scale, this member of the team has a job sitting there and doing the same except his huge crane with giant claws can lift a load of waste equivalent to a refuse lorry full which is carried across to the incinerator and released to burn at around 1200c. The waste which is burned generates 37 megawatts every hour into the National Grid which is enough to power about 50,000 homes. Another transformer diverts electricity back into the plant to power itself. If like I did, you have concerns about air pollution from the burning of this waste, the burned remains are sorted to get any metal items which might have ended up in the incinerator then the ash is graded to use larger pieces for road building while smaller pieces will be used in building blocks. Another filter in the chimney will remove any pollutants such as lime before the remaining discharge is released into the air which, you will be amazed to know is better air than is already there! Tests were done which found air quality in that area was polluted by Heathrow and other industries but the emissions from the Grundon site help to improve this. There are 7 Grundon Waste Transfer Stations around southern England which you may have seen one or two of near the M5 or M4. I've wondered what went on inside so was pleased to find out. I hope you know a bit about it now too! You can find out more on their website at Grundon.com plus some videos on YouTube. It's been a busy time on the beaches across the country on one of the driest years for a long time as well as temperatures breaking all time records of over 40 degrees in many places. During the peak of it, I was doing my litter picks early in the morning whenever I could. There was a big increase in the use of disposable bbq's over the summer which were the cause of many fires due to misuse and tinder dry countryside. I found the remains of these on many occasions where people thought it fine to leave behind.
As Summer draws to a close and Autumn fast approaches, the weather will change with rougher seas as there was this week after the bank holiday weekend when a NE onshore wind brought some big waves and with those, lots of rubbish. One day this week as I walked along the beach from Blue Anchor to Dunster Beach and Minehead, the tide was in and the wind was literally blowing plastic bottles off the sea in front of me as if the sea was relieved to be throwing the plastic back where it belongs - on land for recycling. On this beach clean, I found a total of 68 plastic bottles which is one of the largest amounts I have found in one beach clean. Some other finds included a 10L plastic can which contained around 6L of fuel which was seeping out very slowly from the cap. I removed it although not sure what I'm going to do with it yet! Another concerning find washed in was a full pack of Fluoxetine capsules which are an antidepressant for the treatment of major depressive disorder. I'm pleased I found these before any children arrived to play on the sand. The following day on another beach, I discovered a syringe with needle washed up. This was a beach of large pebbles so luckily not as higher risk of someone stepping on it with bare feet. When I find these, I put them into a plastic bottle with a lid on until I can dispose of them safely. I will continue going out most days when I can to make a difference to our environment. Here is a breakdown of the items I collected on this occasion: 68 plastic bottles, 8 drinks cans, 4 aerosol cans, 1 glass bottle, 1 broken bottle, 216 pieces of hard plastic, 94 pieces of flexible plastic, 17 items of clothing/accessories, 32 pieces of polystyrene larger than 5cmX5cm, unknown amount of polystyrene smaller than 5cmX5cm, 16 pieces of foam/rubber, 6 small metal items, 9 items of fishing related line/net, 1 pair of ear defenders, 1 10L plastic can containing approximately 6L fuel and 17 beach toys. All of this will be recycled where possible including the beach toys which go to the new Beach Toy Library in Minehead where people can help themselves to things they want to use on the sand then return after use. |
AuthorBorn in West Somerset, I have always been proud of where I live and want everyone else to enjoy it too! Archives
September 2022
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