Exeter Chiefs players switch try line for shore line

Till the Coast is Clear is a Social Enterprise working with businesses such as Coastal Recycling.  Its focus is to clear the hard to reach places along our coastlines of plastic and rubbish that otherwise would go un-seen and un-touched.

With the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky Exeter Chiefs players Olly Woodburn and Tom Lawday, sponsored by Coastal Recycling joined Richard Marsh from Coastal Recycling and Gary Jolliffe the founder of Till the Coast is Clear at the picturesque Blackness Marine near Dartmouth.

Boarding the specialist vehicle ‘Coast Clear One’ the team headed out to a stretch of shoreline just along from Galmpton Creek on the River Dart.

Protective gloves donned and armed with litter picking sticks and buckets the team got to work and soon collected a plethora of discarded items from a small stretch of shoreline, the items included; plastic bottles, flip flops, bin lids, plastic wrap, string, DIY fishing gear, crisp packets and even an old buoy. 

Gary Jolliffe, Till the Coast is Clear said: “Each trip is different but we can predict with increasing accuracy what we will find on the strand-line of an estuary.

General litter from the local area; snack wrappers, plastic water bottles, shot gun cartridge cases, wet wipes and beach toys are frustratingly common.

“Commercial, recreational and home-made fishing gear makes up 60-70% of recovered plastic in the form of; rope ends, netting, dolly rope from trawling nets, pots, buoys, fish boxes, bait box packaging & shellfish farming net bags.

“Inevitably as we all go about our daily quest for food and to make a living we leave a foot print so the emphasis has to be on more considerate consumption, improved packaging, better working practices, zero tolerance for littering and generally much, much more respect for the stunning planet on which we reside and the beautiful creatures we share it with”.

Richard Marsh, Coastal Recycling said: “It was great to be joined by Olly and Tom, get hands on and find out more about the work of Till the Coast is Clear. There’s no question all three of us were shocked by how much we collected in such a short space of time.

“The work that Gary undertakes is an important step to protecting our environment and coastlines for wildlife and future generations. Coastal Recycling continue to support the project by ensuring materials collected are efficiently recycled.”

The trip back to the marine did not disappoint with seals, cormorants and herons putting on displays in the sunshine providing a stark reminder of the importance of this work and the need to look after our beautiful coastline.

To find out more about Till the Coast is Clear visit them on Facebook @tillthecoastisclear

To find out more about how Coastal Recycling and how they help organisations recover resources visit www.coastaluk.co.uk