While sea kayaking in the Outer Hebrides, Sara, one of our Telling our Story volunteers was appalled at the amount of litter washed-up on beaches distant from any human habitation.  In response to this,  she was keen to meet the volunteers who help keep our Yorkshire beaches clean on the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Waves of Waste beach cleans that run all year round - come rain or shine!

Bright and early on a Saturday in early October, Sara joined volunteer beach clean leader Bex Lynam (who in her day job is YWT’s Marine Advocacy Manager) and the other volunteers litter picking at Filey Beach. The tide was out and the splendid beach was being enjoyed by hundreds of people. The first thing that struck Sara was how clean Filey beach was. Bex explained that the beach is relatively clean, but that it is because the tide comes in and washes most of the litter away.  This includes everyday items such as crisp packets, drinks cans to sea fishing gear and even bits of building material such as rusty metal. The variety of different types of rubbish is sadly wide-ranging. Thankfully there is also a lot of litter picking by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust volunteers, Filey Council and the Keep Filey Tidy group, which helps to keep Filey a lovely place to visit.

Bex and Sara were soon joined by a team of a dozen or so volunteers, some from Filey itself and others from as far away as York. Bex explained that people from all over Yorkshire and further afield visit the coast to lend a helping hand on these beach cleans. Children and adults alike are regular helpers and it is great to hear that age is no limit to taking part. Rather than wait for everyone, Bex briefed people as they arrived, explaining litter was found mostly on the high tide line at the base of the cliffs; and flagging important safety issues including the cliff’s instability and the waste not to pick-up - such as dead birds and dog poo.

Some of the volunteers had not volunteered before and reported that they had come along as they wanted to help and enjoy a day out too.  Amongst the experienced volunteers were a group from Network Rail, who were using their paid-for volunteering days to give back to the environment. As they said, it was much more fun than being behind a desk. Everyone was soon out on the beach and hard at work.

There was a real sense of community to the litter collection and Sara was impressed by how much litter was being safely collected. Later she looked up just how much litter is collected by the volunteers and was staggered to see it was 325 bin bags from 148 beach cleans in 2022 - there is a lot more detail in the image below. Bex explained that people on the beach see the groups of volunteers in Yorkshire Wildlife Trust high-vis jackets and regularly stop to say thank you to them. 

After an inspiring and enjoyable morning, Sara headed along the coast at a location near to the RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve. There the real importance of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Waves of Waste project was brought into sharp focus, as the inaccessible ledges that the gannets nest on were sadly covered with rubbish and looked almost as bad as the Outer Hebrides beaches. If you need a push to get out there and make a difference by supporting a Waves of Waste litter pick, take look at Sara’s last photo which shows discarded fishing tackle being passed from bird to bird. 

If you'd like to make a difference and help us to turn the tide on the litter washed up on Yorkshire's beaches then you can join one of our volunteer beach clean days, happening across the Yorkshire Coast all year round.