Litter Picking & Beach Cleans

Can you spare a couple of minutes to help keep Seaton Town Centre and Seaton Beach clean?

Seaton Town Council is supporting a new community clean initiative to help keep the beach and town clear of plastic and other litter. The 2 Minute Beach Clean and 2 Minute Street Clean is spearheaded by The 2 Minute Foundation, a registered charity devoted to cleaning up the planet 2 minutes at a time.   It is hoped that visitors and local residents will take part by litter picking thereby helping keep the town clean.

Why your #2minutebeachclean makes a difference:

  • Every piece of plastic that you remove from the marine environment is no longer a danger to the animals that live there.
  • Every piece of litter you pick up off the street will not enter the waterways and end up in the sea.
  • Every item removed from the ocean will not degrade into thousands of tiny, toxic pieces of micro plastic and end up being ingested by fish or sea mammals.
  • Every item of plastic removed from your street, beach or park will help to improve it and improve the lives and businesses of people using it.

The Beach Clean Station – Fisherman’s Gap, at the bottom of Castle Hill

The Street Clean Station – outside Natural Worx in the town square, opposite Lloyds Bank
  • Every item you remove from the beach will be good for you too. Beach cleaning gets you outside, helps to keep you healthy and fit and feeling good, and enables you to take care of nature and take care of what is yours.

Guidance to users of equipment:

Please feel free to use our new 2-minute beach clean and street clean stations. Both allow you to borrow a picker and a bag to conduct your very own litter pick.

Dos:

  • Please feel free to use the litter pick and bag to collect small items of litter for example plastic bottles, metal cans, beer bottles, face masks, etc to help keep our beaches and streets clean.
  • Please sanitise your hands before and after using the equipment, with the hand sanitiser provided.
  • Once you have collected some litter, please empty the contents of the bag into a nearby litter bin. Once the bag is emptied, please return the litter pick and bag back to the station.
  • If you can, wear protective gloves. If you can’t, wash your hands afterwards.
  • Supervise your children and make sure they don’t pick up sharps, dog excrement or dead animals.
  • If you find ordnance (old shells or bullets) call the Coastguard. In the UK this is on 999.
  • Dress appropriately for the weather and wear appropriate footwear. In warmer weather, it is advisable to apply sun cream and carry drinking water.
  • Be careful if walking over wet rocks.
  • Be careful under overhanging cliffs or unstable areas and be VERY wary of landslips and cliff falls, especially after heavy rain.
  • Please be mindful of the amount of time you are using the litter pick for as other helpful residents may also want to join in in the fun.
  • If you find anything of value that is technically salvage, you must report it to the Receiver of the Wreck (this is UK only – local rules may apply).
  • Please dispose of your finds properly. Some plastics may be recycled. Please check locally what can and can’t be recycled.

Do nots:

  • Please refrain from picking up any items that:
    • appear hazardous, including suspected dangerous chemicals or substances
    • are too big to clear
    • dead animals
    • sharp or broken objects including syringes or broken glass that will cause harm to yourself.

and report these to Seaton Town Council at admin@seaton.gov.uk or on 01297 21388 and we can arrange for these to be cleared safely.

  • Do not pick up anything organic that is not beach litter, this means dead animals or birds and faeces. If it is a sea bird or marine mammal, report it The Marine Strandings Network on 03452012626. ukstrandings.org
  • If you find a marine mammal (dolphin, seal etc) that is still alive please report it to The British Divers Marine Life Rescue on their RESCUE HOTLINE: 01825 765546 during office hours. (07787 433412 out of office hours. bdmlr.org.uk Putting them back in the sea can be a risk, especially if young.
  • Please watch for high tides when litter picking and do not try to litter pick if the tide is high.
  • Please avoid collecting litter from within the sea or at the water’s edge.
  • Please do not try to clear any hot or dangerous items such as barbecues and barbecue coals.
  • Please do not try to clear any dog’s mess with the litter pick and bag provided
  • Please do not attempt to clear from uneven or unsafe ground such as rock beds or cliffs.

We are extremely thankful for all residents and visitors to the town who do take part.

Why not download the #2minutefoundation Beach Clean app?  Don’t forget to post your litter pick on social media using the hashtags #2minutebeachclean #2minutestreetclean