How to Find and Get Involved in UK Beach Cleans Near Me

Every year, scrap plastics, fishing gear, packaging and everyday waste washes up on UK shores. 

Beach cleans are one of the best ways to do something about it – and the good news is that whether you’re on holiday in Cornwall, exploring the Norfolk coast or anywhere in between, there’s almost certainly a beach clean near you happening right now.

This guide from Lian Locke, our Positive Impact Manager, details how you can find and get involved in a beach clean in Cornwall.

Expect to learn: 

• What beach cleans are
• Why they matter
• How to find beach clean ups near you
• What to bring 
• And how to get involved (whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned volunteer!) 

What is a beach clean?

A beach clean (also called a beach clean up or coastal clean) is an effort to collect and properly dispose of litter and waste from a beach, coastline or shoreline. Participants use litter pickers, gloves and bags to collect rubbish – from the obvious (plastic bottles, crisp packets, cigarette butts) – to the surprising. More on that later.

Beach cleans range from large, nationally coordinated events organised by charities like Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), to informal community gatherings, school trips and holiday group initiatives. 

Why are beach cleans so important?

The UK produces more plastic waste per person than almost any other country in Europe. Much of it ends up in the ocean. Once marine litter enters the sea, it breaks down into microplastics that enter the food chain, harming seabirds, fish, marine mammals and eventually humans.

The impact extends beyond wildlife. Beach litter damages local tourism, costs councils millions to clear and poses direct hazards to people and dogs walking the shoreline.

Beach cleans matter because:

• They remove real, immediate harm. Every piece of litter collected can’t entangle a seabird, be swallowed by a seal or break into microplastics.
• They generate data. Major organisations like the MCS and SAS use clean up data to lobby the government and hold corporations accountable for the waste their products produce.
• They build community. Beach cleans connect people – locals, tourists, families and strangers – around a shared purpose. At Lovat Parks, our team regularly uses their two paid volunteer days a year to take part.
• They raise awareness. Volunteers who take part in a beach clean up tend to change their own behaviour, perhaps reducing single-use plastics, picking up litter independently and spreading the word.

How effective are beach clean ups?

The numbers speak for themselves. Surfers Against Sewage’s Million Mile Clean campaign removed over 89,900kg of waste from UK beaches, rivers, streets and mountains in 2023 alone, with nearly 94,000 volunteers covering over 348,000 miles between them. 

Individual cleans make a measurable difference too. A single hour of volunteering in the right location can remove hundreds of items before the next tide brings them further up the shore, into sand dunes or out to sea. The sooner litter is collected, the less chance it has to fragment into smaller, harder-to-collect pieces.

How to find beach cleans near me

The easiest way to find beach cleans near you in the UK is through the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean map at sas.org.uk. This interactive map shows upcoming beach clean ups across the UK. You can join an existing event or register your own beach clean.

Other good places to find beach clean ups near you:

• The Marine Conservation Society at mcsuk.org lists beach clean events, particularly around the annual Great British Beach Clean each September.
• The National Trust organises regular volunteer beach cleans at many of the coastal locations it manages. Search volunteer.nationaltrust.org.uk for events near you.
• Facebook and local community groups – many informal beach cleans near coastal towns are organised this way. Search ‘[your town] beach clean’ on Facebook.
• Local wildlife trusts – most county wildlife trusts run coastal volunteering programmes.
• Your local council’s environmental team – many run their own beach clean initiatives, particularly during spring and summer. 
• Ask at Lovat Parks reception desks. Our on-park beach clean stations provide hessian bags, litter pickers and safety instructions, making it easy for guests of all ages to get involved – rain or shine! As members of the SAS Ocean Network, we’re connected to the wider network of beach clean ups in Cornwall, Norfolk and beyond.

Beach cleans in Cornwall

Cornwall has one of the most active beach clean communities in the UK. It’s unsurprising, given the county has over 400 miles of coastline and is particularly affected by Atlantic Ocean currents carrying plastic from across the globe.

Lovat Parks has partnered with Beach Guardian, co-founded by marine biologist Emily Stevenson and her father Rob, for regular monthly beach cleans across Cornwall. Beach Guardian is one of the most respected grassroots organisations working on Cornish coastal conservation, and our teams at Padstow Holiday Village, Cornish Meadows and Sun Haven have been joining their events for years.

We’re also a member of the Surfers Against Sewage Ocean Network – which connects us to the national Million Mile Clean campaign and means we actively support SAS’s education programmes, plastic-free community projects and coastal campaigning work.

What items are commonly found during beach clean ups?

You’d be surprised. Yes, there’s bottles, bags, straws, coffee cups and food packaging. But regularly items turn up that tell a wider story about ocean currents, shipping routes and the longevity of discarded material.

The MCS Great British Beach Clean consistently finds that the top items on UK beaches include crisp packets, plastic bottles and caps, cigarette stubs, cotton bud sticks, wet wipes and fishing line.

Some finds go beyond the everyday. At Lovat Parks, our teams have made memorable discoveries during beach cleans over the years:

• Lego pieces. In 1997, a cargo ship spill off the Cornwall coast sent nearly five million Lego pieces into the sea. Many are still washing up today. The rarest piece – and the most prized among beachcombers – is the black Lego octopus. One was found on a beach near Marazion by a thirteen-year-old in 2024. Our own 2024 end-of-year clean with Surfers Against Sewage turned up a Halloween Lego arm clutching a pumpkin.
• A USA baggage search notice – the strangest single find on one of our SAS cleans.
• A 2001 Safeway crisp packet, unearthed from the sand dunes at Mawgan Porth near Sun Haven during our 2023 clean.

The National Trust’s volunteer teams have found equally extraordinary objects – Russian bug spray, retro picnic items from the 1980s, messages in bottles and shipping containers from decades-old cargo spills.

Every find is a reminder that marine litter doesn’t disappear, it just moves.

How to plan a beach clean

Planning your own beach clean up is more straightforward than most people think. Here’s a simple process:

1. Choose your location and date

Pick a beach that needs attention – talk to locals, walk the shoreline, or use the SAS map to find areas not being covered. Weekends tend to attract more volunteers; spring and early summer are popular as beaches build up litter over winter.

2. Register with a national organisation and file a risk assessment 

Registering your event on the SAS Million Mile Clean map or with the MCS means your clean is counted in national data – and you can ask for free resources (bags, pickers, data collection forms) from these organisations. These organisations can also provide a risk assessment template.

3. Source your supplies

Most organisations send out resource packs. If you’re organising independently, you’ll need: 

• Litter pickers (borrow or buy)
• Heavy-duty bags
• Gloves 
• First aid kit (a more detailed list below)

4. Recruit volunteers

Share on local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, community noticeboards, school newsletters and social media. Local businesses, surf shops and holiday parks (including us, if you’re in one of our locations) will be happy to help spread the word.

5. Arrange disposal

Contact your local council in advance to arrange collection of filled bags, or find your nearest recycling point. Some specialist items – rope, fishing nets, sharp metal – may need to go via specific waste streams.

6. Record what you find

Using the MCS data sheet or SAS app, log what you find by category. This data feeds directly into national reports and lobbying efforts.

7. Celebrate

Finish with a hot drink – a social moment – and share what you found. The unusual, the old, the unexpected. People who feel connected to the experience tend to come back.

What supplies do I need for a beach clean?

Here’s a handy list:

• Litter pickers – reduces bending and makes picking up small items much easier. Many organisations loan these out.
• Heavy-duty bin bags – regular black sacks work, but consider reusable hessian bags.
• Disposable or reusable gloves – essential. You don’t know what you’re handling.
• High-visibility vests – useful for larger groups, particularly where public access and vehicles are nearby.
• A first aid kit – for cuts from sharp metal or glass.
• A data recording sheet or app – MCS and SAS both have options for cataloguing what you find.
• A camera or phone – for recording unusual finds and sharing on social media.
• Sunscreen, water and snacks – beach cleans can take longer than expected, especially when the finds get interesting.

FAQs: UK beach cleans

What can be done to keep beaches clean?

Regular beach cleans, limiting reliance on single-use plastics, reporting pollution and choosing environmentally responsible businesses all contributes. Lasting impact relies on individual behaviour, community action and policy reform working together. Not one single action. We’re actively working to reduce waste at Lovat Parks.

What shoes to wear on a beach clean up?

Sturdy closed-toe footwear is essential. Trainers or waterproof walking shoes for sandy beaches; hiking boots or waterproof boots for rocky or shingle beaches. Never wear open-toed sandals or go barefoot. Debris, including broken glass and fishing hooks, is often hidden in sand or seaweed.

Join a beach clean with Lovat Parks

As a certified B Corp and member of the Surfers Against Sewage Ocean Network, protecting the coastlines around our parks isn’t just something we talk about – it’s something our teams actively do.

From monthly cleans with Beach Guardian across Cornwall to our end-of-year events with SAS, beach cleans are part of how we care for the places our guests love.

If you’re staying with us and want to get involved during your holiday, speak to our team. We can point you to the nearest upcoming event. Because the best thing about a beach clean is leaving knowing it’s in a better shape than when you found it.

Browse Lovat Parks’ Cornish holiday parks, for year-round access to UK beach cleans.

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