WHATISIT?Helpingto
removeplasticlitterfromour
shorelines.If you’reheadingto
thebeachfora swimortodo
watersports,youcandoyour
ownminibeachcleanbefore
andafter.Orcombineplastic
pickingwitha workoutandtake
partina BigBeachClean- theseareorganisedregularly
aroundtheUKbySurfers
AgainstSewage(SAS).Plastic
pollutionis a globalissue
affectingallbeaches.If wewant
toenjoycleanandsafeseas
andbeachesforsportand
leisure,weallneedtoplayour
partandcollectwaste(aswell,
ofcourse,asreducinguse).
WHATMIGHTI BEDOING?
Safelyandsensiblyremoving
andrecyclingplasticthat’sleft
orwasheduponourshores.
Glovesanda firstaidkitcan
beusefulandit’simportantto
avoidsharp,unusual,largeor
hazardousitems(ifyoucome
acrossanyofthese,informthe
^In2018,
67,759
amazing
volunteers
removed
116 tonnes
ofplastic
pollution
fromUK
beaches
SURFERS _
AGAINSTSEWAGE^I2018
toa binlinerandlitterpicker–
anda routethattakesyoupast
a recyclingcentreonyourway
hometoproperlydisposeof
everythingyou’vecollected.
HOWFITDOI NEEDTOBE?
Again,yougoatyourownpace.It
canelevateanordinaryrunintoa
fartleksession(whereyouvaryyour
speedinbetweenmarkers)and
incorporatingmovementssuchas
squatting,lunging,bendingand
reachingtocollectwaste.
HOWCANI JOININ?Laceup
yourtrainers,graba bagandmake
likea Womble!If youbelongtoa
runninggroup,whynotsuggest
a regularploggingsession?council or maritime agency, or
tell the organisers). If collecting
alone, it’s worth reading the SAS
safety guidelines document,
which can be downloaded from
the website. Help raise awareness
by sharing photos of your finds
on social media with the hashtag
#minibeachclean.
HOW FIT DO I NEED TO BE? If
you can walk on the beach, you
can help clean it. All ages and
abilities can help out, and the
fitter you are (or become), the
more you can collect.
HOW CAN I JOIN IN? Visit
sas.org.uk to find out about
organised beach cleans – and
how to organise your own. If you
live in or are visiting a coastal
area, check the local authority
website or type ‘beach clean’ into
a search engine to find out if
there are events or groups you
can join. Or simply get into the
habit of collecting any litter you
find when you visit coastal areas- and recycling it if you can.
5 DO A BIG BEACH CLEAN
PHOTOS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Fitness
MAY 2019 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 95