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Lego, cooking ingredients and even a toilet seat were among the finds in the 800kg haul of rubbish gathered from Channel Island beaches this weekend.
The Channel Island Beach Clean saw 190 volunteers in Guernsey, collecting 441kg of waste; 137 volunteers in Jersey (195kg), 25 in Alderney (124kg) and 15 in Sark (42kg).
Some of the more unusual finds included lego, packs of bicarbonate soda, a water bottle from Turkey, keyboard keys and a toilet seat, along with many of the usual culprits, such as fishing nets, bottle caps, plastic cutlery, tennis balls and polystyrene.
Volunteers were asked to choose a beach and notify their local organisers with what they found, along with the weight and a photo.
Pictured: Amelie Le Prevost with the waste she collected.
“We were wonderfully overwhelmed by the number of entries we received over the weekend and into the following week," said The Clean Earth Trust's Community Engagement Officer, Helen Quin.
"Whilst the amount of waste was devastating to look at, it was a joy to read and share in everyone's experiences."
Alderney Wildlife Trust Outreach Officer Lorna West said the community had made a big impression in helping to clean up the coastline.
“This year was a huge success with a big increase in the number of participants and the amount of waste collected – more than double on both accounts. Our communities really came together, despite being physically apart, and achieved something amazing; a safer environment for wildlife."
Pictured: Alfie and Mia Smith were among the younger participants.
Shakira Christodoulou from La Societe Serquaise added: “Sark fought back against lockdown to give nine beaches a thorough spring-clean - more than we've ever achieved before for the Big Beach Clean, even if the traditional tea and cake finish together was lacking!
"I'd like to thank everyone from La Société Sercquaise, Sark Community Blooms, and Sark's home-schoolers who joined in.”
The Big CI Beach Clean was organised by the Alderney Wildlife Trust, The Clean Earth Trust (Guernsey), La Societe Serquaise, Little Feet Environmental (Jersey) and The National Trust for Jersey.
Pictured top: Alfie and Mia Smith, Amelie Le Prevost and image of hand wash pump taken by Nicky Harris.
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