Volunteers turn the tide against beach litter nuisance
THE owners of a popular bar and restaurant which has Swansea Beach on its doorstep have spoken about their battle against litterbugs blighting the beauty spot by leaving behind their rubbish after visiting.
Over the last few weeks, we have once again seen a growing trend of mess being left behind on the beach by visitors, including alcohol bottles and cans, broken glass, disposable BBQ sets and gas canisters.
Dedicated volunteers have been at the forefront of the efforts to clean up after late night visitors, turning up early the next morning to clear up in a bid to stop young families and animals getting hurt when they visit during the daytime.
And among those putting in the effort to keep the beach clean are Ryan and Lucy Hole, who run The Secret Bar and Kitchen along Mumbles Road, who have seen it as
“their duty” to keep the area mess free.
They have launched a scheme where there is a litter pick every Monday morning, with those who come forward to volunteer rewarded with a coffee and a bacon roll.
And they say the activity has begun to show signs of success, with volunteers going from filling 54 bags of rubbish to just four in their most recent litter pick.
“We feel we have a duty to give back to the community,” Lucy said.
“We wanted to litter pick and to reward those who came and did it with a coffee and a bacon roll.
“We did the first one, which was great, and the next time we did it we had 100 plus volunteers.
“We’ve kept it going every week, and we’ve also kept the option open for anyone who
wants to do it midweek. Our place acts as a hub where people can pick up litter pickers and bags.
“Over the bank holiday and Easter holidays we did it every single day, but we will do it when we know the beach is busy on an ad hoc basis.”
Ms Hole explained that things have begun to improve in their efforts to keep the beach clean.
“It has turned a corner,” she said.
“I think what we’ve been doing has begun to hit home and had an impact. The last time we did a litter pick we filled four bags, and before we’ve filled 54 bags. I think we’ve raised awareness in the community of the issues and people have probably begun to feel a bit embarrassed about doing it.
“It’s just about respecting your surroundings. This is a problem that happens worldwide but we can do our little bit to help.”