Two Minute Beach Clean

Two Minute Beach Clean

An annual survey undertaken by ‘National Coastline Surveys’ has identified areas that can be improve in order to reduce the amount of litter on the district’s coastlines.

Rubbish that is disposed of or abandoned on a beach can be harmful to both the Marine and coastal environments. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has been developing an Anti–Litter strategy to tackle this problem. The new strategy is focused on the concept of a ‘Two Minute Beach Clean’ identified by the local ‘Love Your Lough’ environmental Group.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Gillian Fitzpatrick said, “I would advise anyone who visits one of the wonderful beaches in the Newry, Mourne and Down district to take any rubbish they have home with them instead of littering and if you spot any litter on the beach, do your part to help out and pick it up.”

The simple concept is based on encouraging everyone who visits a beach in Newry, Mourne and Down to simply take two minutes to remove litter and do their part to help clean up the district. A small contribution from each person could lead to potentially large amount of waste being removed which will be a great boost to the local environment.

Councillor Fitzpatrick continued, “The Council will be delivering four ‘Two Minute Beach Clean’ stations on our beaches, initially starting in Warrenpoint and Newcastle. The stations will include A-boards with a holder for a litter picker and a wind proof slot for waste bags. The purpose of these stations will be that once a bag of waste has been collected, participants can return it to the station where it will be removed by Council staff.” 

Ms Nichola Fitzsimmons, Community Development Officer, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and The Clean Coast Programme said, “I am delighted that Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is the first Council to introduce the ‘Two Minute Beach Clean’ initiative. This scheme would allow anyone who is out enjoying our coastline to do their small bit and help keep our beaches clean. Don’t forget to take a snap of the litter you collect and post it on social media using #2minutebeachclean.”

In the future, the Council plan to roll out the new scheme throughout the other district beaches such as Tyrella and Cranfield.