1.5 tons of litter cleared at popular Isle of Wight beaches

In 2023, PA volunteers conducted various beach clean-ups, and removed more than 1.5 tons of litter from the Island's coastline.

The recent winter storms have left some of the Island’s most beautiful beaches and coves overwhelmed with large volumes of litter and debris.

At a clean-up at Watershoot Bay, near St Catherine’s Lighthouse, volunteers cleared 260kg of debris in just a few hours.

Debris at Watershoot Bay, near St Catherine's Lighthouse (Image: Planet Aware)

A PA spokesperson said: “It was sad to see so much debris as well as unfortunately, a dead seal and a dolphin, victims of the storms.

“However, it was really rewarding to see the difference that was made not just visually, but also by the removal of items that would have otherwise washed back into the sea, polluting and potentially harming marine wildlife.”

Planet Aware beach clean-ups (Image: Planet Aware)

On some Island beaches, volunteers found smaller items which are not as obvious but equally damaging.

In one survey, PA found 111 cigarette butts on Ventnor Beach. They are consistently in the top five items found on beaches across the UK and can take 14 years to degrade while releasing a cocktail of chemicals and microplastics.

At other beaches, including at Brook, small plastic pellets known as nurdles were found in significant numbers, too.

Nurdles found on the beach at Brook (Image: Planet Aware)

Andrew Dean, a PA volunteer, said: “With the increased storms, more of our discarded items and mismanaged waste is being washed into shore.

“It’s a challenge to retrieve the debris, often up steps and over fields. It’s frustrating that the steps have been damaged recently, as we want to get back to some of these areas.

“On certain beaches, over 60 per cent of what we collect comes from shipping and fishing-related items.

“We also find everyday items including plastic bottles, beach toys, helium balloons, clothing, shoes and literally anything you can think of turns up in time.”