Started by sea swimming addicts in November 2022, Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas aim to reduce beach litter and support healthy, climate-resilient marine habitats, biodiversity and environment, achievable via:
PREVENTION: Working with fishermen, local businesses and other organisations to tackle the litter problem at source
MITIGATION:
Enabling volunteers to safely collect litter off the beach. REM
EDIATION: Working in partnership with others to recycle as much beach litter as possible. Selsey in West Sussex is largely surrounded by the sea, having 7.5km of beaches on its east, south and west sides. It’s sandwiched between two multi-designated natural harbours, Pagham Harbour and Chichester Harbour, with salt marsh, a saline lagoon, seagrass and oyster projects, vegetated shingle and more. The latter has a growing seal population which regularly haul themselves out onto Selsey beaches. Offshore, it has Special Protected Area and Marine Conservation Zone designations, the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project and CHASM (Crustaceans, Habitat and Sediment Movement) study going on. People pressures on the marine environment (including its beaches) include an active commercial fishing community, a vibrant angling community, one of the largest holiday parks in Europe, not forgetting a population of 12,000 which swells to around 20,000 during the holiday season. All these factors contribute to a coastal community, like every other around the world, that suffers from an unacceptable beach litter problem which spills out to the surrounding natural harbours, much of which is plastic. Such litter breaks down to become what’s known as secondary plastics and even further to become microplastics. The problem is global. Microplastics were found in 96/97 sea water samples taken in the arctic (Ross et al., 2021). They are found in the stomachs of many different types of marine life from plankton to whales. They have also been found in clouds, tap water, bottled water, mountain tops, sea salt, beer and the fish we eat (Pironti et al, 202; Yang et al., 2021). They are all pervasive, persistent and a hazard to health. We need to turn the tap off that’s producing them and clean up our environment. The good news is that experts from Norce, one of Norway’s largest research organisations found that within a year of volunteers removing bottles, bags and other large pieces of plastic from the shore of an island near Bergen, the amount of microplastics on land and in the water fell by 99.5% (Sky News, 2023). Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas’ mission is to do all they can to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment. Some Ninjas just want litter-free beaches and seas to enjoy, some are motivated by a love of Selsey and sense of community, others, to do as much for wildlife and the marine environment as possible. We run informally, connected by a WhatsApp group, collecting as individuals, between us, daily, fitting picks around our everyday lives and have the odd group litter pick too. We share our finds and there’s a small monthly prize of a donation to a charity of choice for the most interesting find. We don’t routinely count, weigh or measure our litter picks and whilst we understand how reporting can support formal conservation efforts and drive legislative change, believe this informality is one of the keys to our success. We do however, recycle MOST of what we collect via external partnerships. Please note:
• Please wear gloves and sensible shoes. You beach clean at your own risk.
• Be mindful of the tide.
• Be mindful of wildlife.
• Larger bits of rubbish and debris can become wildlife habitats. Please don’t remove these.
• Leave seaweed and other natural items in place and undisturbed.
• If you find anything you can’t safely touch or lift – don’t. Let us know and we’ll organise its removal.
• Feel free to complete your own litter survey forms & report your findings to the Marine Conservation Society.
• Chichester District Council will supply you with purple rubbish bags that you can use to dispose of non-recyclable beach litter in, either in or beside any of the Council bins or alongside your black bin.
• Anyone can post anything of relevance on this page but please do not advertise goods or services or post anything offensive.
