Help keep our beaches free of litter by taking part in a 2-minute beach clean

Published Wednesday 25 May, 2022
Last updated on Tuesday 7 June, 2022

Visitors to local beaches are being asked to take two minutes to help keep them litter free and prevent pollution of our coastline.

Swale Borough Council has installed three beach cleaning boards – complete with litter pickers and rubbish bags - as part of the #2minutebeachclean campaign at Minster Leas, Leysdown and Shellness beaches.

The boards can be found at Neptune Beach Café on Shellness Road, Leysdown Seafront and at the Whitehouse access gate on Minster Leas beach.

Beachgoers can help keep our beaches clean by simply taking two minutes to pick up some litter they see, sharing a picture of it on social media using the hashtag #2minutebeachclean, and then disposing of the litter in the appropriate bins.

Cllr Julian Saunders, environment committee chair at the council, said:

“We originally installed the boards at the beginning of the year in 2020, just before lockdown, so we couldn’t use them for a while.

“We hope to have lots of residents and visitors using them as they enjoy Minster Leas, Leysdown and Shellness beaches this summer.”

Cllr Tim Valentine, environment committee vice chair at the council, said:

“We spend more than £1 million every year to keep the borough free of litter, and it’s still a battle, so we’re delighted when residents, visitors and community groups get together to help us keep the borough, and our beaches, clean.

“If you’re using the beach this summer, grab the litter pickers and take part in the #2minutebeachclean to help keep our beaches and bathing water free of environment-damaging litter.”