Litter on beaches has improved, islanders say

Beach clean initiatives could be helping keep Jersey and Guernsey beaches clean, islanders say

The amount of litter on beaches this year is less in comparison to previous years, people across the Channel Islands have said.

A number of beach cleaning boards were set up at eight locations across Jersey in August. They were designed to encourage people to pick up their rubbish.

Michel Bougeard, St Brelade Chef de Police, said there was still more that needed to be done to improve the situation.

He said: "If we caught somebody littering we would issue a fine. They would be reported, no two ways about it."

He added: "If we see somebody having a picnic we normally tell them to make sure they take their litter away but without breathing down people's necks all the time you're never going to solve the problem."

Paul Bugden said the amount of litter changed throughout the seasons

Paul Bugden, policy officer at the Clean Earth Trust, said the charity was still finding "plenty of litter" when undertaking beach cleans in Guernsey.

He said: "We usually wind up with several buckets full of different kinds of waste.

"Once we've collected it all we then divide it up into various categories and we record the data for each survey.

"At the end of each calendar year we then pull all that data together and put it into a marine litter report."

Mr Bugden said the amount of litter changed throughout the seasons and events at sea.

Vittorio Macari said people had started to take responsibility for their rubbish

Vittorio Macari, who works for deckchair rental company Sunnyside Beach in St Brelade, Jersey, said he had noticed improvements in the amount of litter on the beach.

He said: "Coming down in the morning you get the odd bits but apart from that there's been a huge improvement in how much litter is actually on the beach.

"I think people have really started to take responsibility and obviously having the litter-picking machine down here is providing incentives for people to come down and clean up after themselves."

Nick Hill said the surf school took its surfers out for a weekly beach clean-up

Nick Hill, from the Guernsey Surf School, said people in the main did clear up after a day at the beach.

He said: "We definitely find a fair bit of litter does get left around. We try, if we can, to clear up anything we see.

"In general people want to take their waste with them and if they see anything they will pick it up and put it in the bin."

Mr Hill said the surf school taught its surfers the importance of caring for the environment.

He said: "We do try weekly with the kids to do a beach clean-up and we do collect a fair bit, some weeks more than others, but it's a good thing for everyone to do and be aware of."

Holidaymaker Ginnie said the amount of litter had been "minimal" at St Brelade beach

Holidaymaker Ginnie said: "Given how many people we see using the beaches I would say the amount of litter there has been quite minimal."

Jo, who was also on holiday, added that Jersey was "one of the cleanest places I've ever been to".

Christie, at Vazon Beach in Guernsey, said she had not seen any litter.

She said the company she works for was planning to do a beach clean in September.

"We just try and find things to help the community, that's one of them," she said.