Source to Sea

Every year thousands of people head to the coast to take part in a beach clean and note down what they find.  But for those of you who don't live near a beach, or who may have noticed a litter problem in a park or street near you, the Source to Sea Litter Quest is the answer.

Last year, 70% of litter picks that took place on streets and in parks found PPE litter, 99% found drinks containers.

Taking part this September is simple, all you need to do is download the survey form, grab some gloves and a litter picker, if you have one, and head outside!

How to take part

• Download our Source to Sea Litter Quest form and head out to see what litter you can spot.
• If you're taking part with younger children you can ask them to tick the form when they spot an item
• Adults and older children can use the sheet to keep a tally of how many of each item you see
• If it's safe to do so, and the litter is on public land, then please pick up the rubbish and take it home, remember to recycle where possible
• We've created some handy risk assessments for you to use to ensure you, and the citizen scientists who join you, stay safe – you can download the risk assessments below
• Submit your litter data using our handy form or if you prefer you can email us a photo or a scan of your form – and we'll use your valuable data in our vital research to combat ocean pollution.

Join our campaign for change

All of the data you collect on the beach, on your street or in a local park helps us campaign for change.

We’ve used data collected in previous years to make the case for the 5p carrier bag charges across the UK, and are campaigning for Deposit Return Schemes for all types of drinks containers.

What’s more, we know policies like the 5p carrier bag charges work. Since their introduction from 2011 across the UK we’ve seen a 55% drop in the bags we’re finding on beaches. The more data we collect, the more policies which we can push for to make beach and ocean pollution a thing of the past.

Why your help matters

We know that litter from towns, parks and even the remotest country lanes often make their way down to our ocean. Every item dropped in the street has the potential to pollute our seas by travelling down rivers and streams, being washed down drains or by being blown onto our beaches.

As part of our litter cleans we collect data to track rubbish back to its source  - our survey results are then used to find solutions to ocean pollution, and to campaign for measures to bring positive change.

This year we’ve chosen 14 items for you to record and report back to us – these items have been picked, and by taking part in our inland cleans, you can help us, keep our seas safe and healthy – for us all to enjoy.

Why?

During last year’s Great British Beach Clean we found an average of 30 drinks-related litter items for every 100m of beach, and all these items  were also found on 99% of inland cleans.

We want to see deposit return schemes across the UK where you pay a small deposit on these items when you buy them. Then when you return it you get your money back.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to bring in laws that will support a deposit return scheme, with your help we can provide evidence of the problem to encourage politicians to take urgent action.

Since the 5p bag charges were introduced across the whole of the UK we have seen over 50% drop in single-use plastic carrier bags on our beaches (comparing 2015 data with 2020). But we want to know if this dramatic drop can also be seen inland – can you help us spot this serial offender?

PPE was found on almost 70% of inland cleans over Great British Beach Clean last year. We want to see how common it is one year on.

Last year we found 18 wet wipes on every 100m of beach during our Great British Beach Clean and evidence of marine wildlife entangled in balloon strings.

We need to find out where these items are coming from, because by tracking them back through the sewage system, and understanding more about their journey from our streets and parks, we can put a stop to pollution.