A Scots seaside town has pulled together to clean up more than 1000 kilos of litter from their beaches this year. Residents of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, have been getting stuck in at monthly community beach cleans which started in February.
They’ve seen between 30 to 40 volunteers regularly turning out, logging a total of 917 volunteer hours between them – and removing over 1000 kg of waste from their shores. Run by community group Plastic Free Stonehaven and local charity Paws On Plastic, the beach clean success story has had volunteers of all ages get involved including school and youth groups.
Paws On Plastic founder and Plastic Free Stonehaven lead Marion Montgomery said: “The support from all parts of the Stonehaven community has been just incredible, from young children coming along with their families, groups of friends of all ages, to our fantastic local businesses, our schools and community groups and organisations. It’s been amazing to feel the support and we can’t thank them enough.
“A huge thanks also goes to our fantastic steering group made up of Aberdeenshire Council representatives, local councillors, the Stonehaven Business Association, Stonehaven Town Partnership, Stonehaven & District Community Council, Stonehaven Horizon Group and the Men’s Shed.”
Plastic Free Stonehaven achieved “plastic-free” status from the eco campaign group Surfers Against Sewage this summer along with nine local businesses under their Plastic Free Communities programme. The scheme encourages groups and firms to look for ways to reduce their use of single-use plastics and to remove waste from the beach and other areas of the community.
Paws on Plastic encourages dog owners to pick up a few bits of litter on their daily walks to protect animals, communities and the environment and the charity also educates on the consequences of litter.
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