How to clean a beach – In this article, we’d like to provide some tips that you can use to organize a beach cleaning day (or beach cleanup week event).

It’s a sea of work!

Create the event 📅

The secret ingredient for the success of any event is organization!

First: Choose a beach to clean! ⛱️

Surf the Internet to choose the beach. Check if other people have already organized cleanups at the same place.

Watch out for the tide 🌊

It is always better to plan the cleaning of the beach about 4 hours after high tide.

Get permission ✋

That’s right. No permit, no party. The local council can help you if the beach belongs to a private owner.

Be responsible. Find out who is responsible for garbage collection

When you call for your permit, find out who the beach trash collection manager is and ask them where you can take the trash you’re going to pick up during the cleanup day. And if you need to borrow any tools… well, always ask them. 💪💁‍♀️

The inspection

Visit the site just before the event and make sure everything is in place. Oh, and since you are already there you can even go for a swim. As long as there isn’t too much plastic…

Promote your initiative

Let as many people as possible know about your initiative.

• Create a group on WhatsApp or on Facebook,
• print some flyers,
• prepare a press release to send to local newspapers,
• stop people on the street.

Don’t forget to give participants clear information about where to meet and what to bring (appropriate clothing and shoes, water, food, sunscreen, thick gloves or gardening gloves).

It’s time to hit the beach!

The clean-up day

To make sure the day goes off without any particular setbacks you can consult this checklist.

• Risk assessment document;
• Paper and pens to survey the waste. A clipboard may also come in handy;
• Lots of garbage bags;
• Gardening gloves, garbage picker tongs, and rings to hold the bags open in case it’s a windy day;
• A scale to find out how much trash actually weighs on the planet;
• A first aid kit and two containers to isolate hazardous waste such as syringes and sharps;
• Waste census forms and child consent forms.

Have you checked that you have everything?

Good, now you can head to the beach. A little advance notice is always appreciated. Mark off a 100-metre census area and wait for enthusiastic participants to join you on the beach.

The briefing

You’re the captain. It’s time to explain the day’s plans in detail and motivate your new team.

Introduce yourself

Would you ever do anything with someone you know nothing about?

Inform

Tell in simple words why it is essential to take a census of the garbage that pollutes the seas and beaches. Give a little more information about the place and, if there is any, explain the other garbage collection activities that take place nearby. Don’t forget to carefully explain how to use the census form and the risk factors the area presents.

Motivate your team

Organize a challenge for the most census items. Encourage volunteers to follow proper procedure as they pick up any trash they find and use the census forms. You can raffle off something – we imagine popsicles would be appreciated.

Be social!

Ask for volunteers’ permission to document the event. Take some photos to post on your social profiles. Or send them to us: they could end up directly on the official Grazie Natural pages.

The return

Communicate the time to return to the meeting point.

Manage team working

Here are a few tips to help you manage the cleaning operation in the best possible way

• Give a hand to those who help the planet

Always be available to help your fellow adventurers. Always identify the waste they collect and enter their details on the census form.

• Safety First

Always be prepared to use first aid kits. If possible bring containers for glass/sharp objects.

• Share your love for the planet

A day like this needs to be remembered. Take photos and create a photo album to share on your social profiles and be an inspiration to all your friends and followers.

Mission accomplished the beach is clean!

The beach cleanup is over. Now pay special attention to the last details:

• Weigh and count the bags of trash collected. Mark how many volunteers participated;
• Ask if anyone found any unusual items. Beaches can hide priceless treasures;
• Find out what material most of the collected trash is made of. We’ll take a guess: is it plastic? Feel free to write a comment below👇 and let us know. We’re curious; 😊
• Thank your amazing fellow adventurers.

Before you leave the beach, make sure your trash is left in the spot agreed upon with the city council.
Fill out the census form, indicating the number of volunteers and bags of trash, weather conditions, and other information. Share the census with the local association to which you belong.

It’s time to go home.

Thank you ❤️

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Know that you did something really important for the planet today. You didn’t just clean up a beach. You’ve been a role model. It’s a ripple effect that rids the Earth of man-made waste.

Want to add a piece of advice, or suggest an edit? Feel free to leave a comment. 🙂👇

Go to the Beach Cleaning volunteering opportunities section

Can’t help as a volunteer? Read 10 best practices to keep the beaches and the seas clean