Children from William Gilpin pick up 21kgs of plastic waste during beach clean

A GROUP of children from a Pilley school who went on a beach clean were “shocked” at how much plastic they recovered.

The Year 6 children from William Gilpin filled multiple bags with waste, which was largely hidden in undergrowth and amongst seaweed and pebbles.

They came across hundreds of nurdles – beads of raw plastic used in manufacturing processes. These float on the sea’s surface collecting waste chemicals and bacteria, and are a danger for wildlife and fish.

Having decided they wanted to make their peers and the public more aware of the problem of marine plastics having been looking at the concept of ‘legacy’, the pupils set out with oceanographer and Surfers Against Sewage representative Christine Spreiter.

They collected more than 21 kgs of litter, including dumped vapes, bottle caps and plastic toys.

Following the clean, Christine said: “The children did a fantastic job and enjoyed their day, though they felt both ‘sad and mad’, according to 11 year old pupil Marianne Mugford, about what they discovered.

“Their citizen science evidence will, they hope, help reduce coastal and marine contamination in the future. Most of all, though, William Gilpin pupils are glad they left their section of the Solent shore cleaner than they found it.”