Strandliners delivered the last eight months of a 3-year Clean Seas Please project in Bexhill with Rother Voluntary Action, which ended in 2022.

The main areas of focus were:
Education
– Keeping our beaches and seas clean in Rother – fats, oils and greases, single use plastic & wet wipes, misconnections (including a survey of local plumbers).
Community engagement
– Eight beach cleans and surveys, with training delivered at each session – Adding Value to Beach Cleans.
– Community Hub events: Beyond the Beach Clean
– Public events such as Bexhill festival of the Sea, Clean Earth Show and Ocean Symposium
Schools
– Working with three local primary schools, including whole school assemblies, classroom session and Wild Beach sessions.

Future School Project

As a result of the Clean Seas project, and from taking part in a MOOC in Marine Litter, Strandliners would like to develop a schools education programme (primary and secondary), given the appropriate funding.

Objectives
To create awareness and engagement amongst school children of marine litter and plastic pollution. 

With better understanding of the problem students will be able to identify marine litter in their own environment and be encouraged to modify their own behaviour and that of their families and their community in terms of consumption and disposal of what could become marine litter. 

These objectives would be achieved through the roll out of a schools-based education programme that will include classroom learning and practical fieldwork. 

Strategies
The education project would use the following strategies: 
– Marine litter and plastic pollution issues will be brought to the attention of children (and teachers). We hope some of the children will want to become involved in on-going support in tackling the issues outside of their school lessons. 
– Students will be learning of the significance of their actions and will be encouraged to share with their families and communities ideas for positive behavioural change. In addition, the dialogue with schools and education department of the local authorities will create the opportunity for further actions plans. 

Effectiveness of the action 
Students will: 
– Be able to demonstrate a higher level of awareness of marine litter and its sources locally, nationally and internationally. 
– Understand reasons why plastic pollution is a problem for the environment and be able to connect plastic use and climate change. 
– Begin to make own decisions to reduce worst types of marine litter (single use, multi- layer plastics etc.). 
– Begin to be able to identify methods to reduce plastic pollution at source (as far as end use and disposal are concerned, extended producer responsibility and circular economy can be ultimate aims). 
– Be able to connect with own families and community to influence decisions on consumption and disposal of potential marine litter. 
– Be able to engage with local and national government and media. 
– Be able to create a snap shot of marine litter pollution within their community environment and be engaged in on-going activity to tackle the pollution. 

Schools may: 
– Change behaviour towards consumption, using more environmentally materials. 
– Modify infrastructure to enable less waste through a policy of reduce, reuse, recycle policy. 

Assessing the effectiveness
– How pro-active and receptive the schools and teachers are to the delivery of the programme. 
– How responsive students are to the concept of identification and recording of plastic pollution. 
– Questionnaire at beginning and end of delivery to find out change in perception of their attitudes and awareness. 
– Identify through follow up research any changes made to the school infrastructure and/or systems that reduce waste. 

Example Activities

The following activities were used with children during our work in schools and on the beach:
Litter Top Trumps
Scavenger hunt
How long until it’s gone?
Be a toilet (The Unflushables)
Send yourself a postcard
How can we reduce our plastic footprint?
Tidal patterns
Litter surveys
Great Eggcase Hunt (skate/ray identification)
Using ID guides