Beach Clean Log - Week 1

Welcome to the 30 Day Beach Clean! Between March and April 2022, I combed Gyllyngvase Beach every day for 30 days to remove trash, plastic, and other debris that should not be littering this natural environment. Follow me on this exploration where I uncover just how much waste can accumulate in such a short period of time, on one beach. Check out Artificial Coast II to see the full story!

Day 1 Sunday 6th 17:15-17:49

The beach was busy, so I looked at the far end, away from the water and close to the wall. I found lots of cigarette buts, a rusty bottle cap… first of many.

Day 2 Monday 7th 11:03- 11:29

Windy day. Lots of waves. There tends to be more washed up because of these weather conditions. Lots of sea glass found today. Weird finds - Blue milk cap, toy dinosaur, a pencil, plastic ice cream stick.

Day 3 Tuesday 8th 16:42- 17:07

The tide has gone in so I’m searching in the little rock pools through the seaweed to find plastic stuck. Shocked at how much I found. I found 55 individual pieces today. The more I moved the seaweed with a stick, there was plenty more underneath. Happy to remove but unfortunate to find so much in just 25 minutes.

Day 4 Wednesday 9th 16:32- 16:50

Went searching for just microplastics today after discovering lots yesterday.

Day 5 Thursday 10th 16:39- 17:01

Had in my mind today that I would find lots of microplastics like the last two days. But found more large pieces of plastic, not hidden. Just lay on the rocks which surprised me.

Day 6 Friday 11th 16:04- 16:27

Back to the rock pools when the tide is out. Really want to rid the nurdles. Paint brush found... Strange. Looking through lots of seaweed with a stick today.

Day 7 Saturday 12th 16:01 - 16:25

Two of the same orange pieces of plastic found today, broken down into different sizes.