Legendary Litter Pickers

By Olly Gibb

Rolling in from distant shores plastic bottles lie arrogantly nestled in our tranquil coves and

sandy bays. Toothbrushes, tyres and crisp packets blemish our beaches and taint our shores.

The silent war waged by sea litter is one of mindless attrition. Mass consumption and mass

disposal. For a year now our laments and cries of hopelessness have been lost in the gales as

we stumble along beaches riddled with rubbish, fearing the inevitable desecration of this holy

coast.

In addition to large and obvious pieces of litter, the seaweed is often intertwined with smaller pieces

But now, thanks to a brave few - a lucky few - the tides in this war are changing. Whispers that

started softly as a late spring breeze have rallied and gathered to a roaring mid winter battle cry

that sounds every Sunday as the hordes of litter picking heroes charge onto the shores to

defend their lands. Any litter unlucky enough to be on our coast now quivers in fear as wellies

both small and large march wholeheartedly towards it, impassioned on their weekly crusade for

justice. Cheered on by seals and birds we will doggedly litter pick until we can litter pick no

more.

Since our brave warriors have started they have been collecting roughly 30 kgs of rubbish a

week - over 100kgs in November! With the average European person producing 31kgs of

rubbish a year the group are on track to becoming more plastic neutral in just a few months. We

are storing this plastic so it can be recycled, using shredding and extruding equipment, into

exportable products such as fence posts and plant pots.

Don’t let go! Balloons after a common sight in the countryside and often entangle wildlife

We gather every Sunday at a time and place dependent on tide and weather. Despite the intense write up it’s very relaxed and sociable and ideally ends with hot drinks and baked goods. The

team so far has been helped by folk of all ages and an enthusiastic dog.

Easting Road Store - home to delicious coffee, baked treats and smiles

“We will litter pick on the beaches, we will litter pick in the coves, we will litter pick in the setting sun and howling gales, we shall litter pick on our island, whatever the cost.” Binston Churchill

Bird caught and killed in discarded fencing wire