How to organize a beach cleanup?
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Tips for organizing a beach cleanup
🗓️ Pre-planning:
🏖 Select an accessible and safe beach
☀️ Check the weather forecast and tide schedule
📄 Make sure you have the necessary permits to carry out the activity
⚒️ Necessary material:
🧤 Gloves , which are durable and reusable. Like the ones Bolseta sells , which are made from recycled raincoats.
👟 Closed and comfortable shoes .
🧴 Sun protection and 👒 cap or hat.
👜 Reusable bags that can be cleaned well afterwards.
🩹 First aid kit in case of cuts or falls .
✅ Tongs that allow you to pick up waste without bending down every time. They’re not mandatory, but highly recommended.
Kit of materials needed for a waste collection
Good practices in waste collection
Before collection:
📣 Provide an informative explanation of basic safety rules and area boundaries .
🚫 Warn of possible dangers : do not touch glass with your hands
📸 Take photos of the environment before the cleanup, so you can show the full impact afterwards .
During collection:
🐚 Do not collect shells or vegetation , they are part of nature.
🚰 Drink water occasionally (using reusable bottles) and take breaks .
After collection
⚖️ Weigh and sort all collected waste .
🚮 Separate all waste into its corresponding containers
🙏 Share the results achieved with the entire group .
Moment of weighing the waste found on the beach
Organizations that collect waste in nature
We introduce you to organizations that can help you carry out waste collection:
It is an environmental NGO based in Salou that works to raise awareness and action against plastic pollution.
Non-profit association focused on plastic pollution in the sea and natural spaces.
It is a Barcelona-based organization that promotes knowledge, education, and awareness about the marine environment.
We are a company that offers solutions to promote the circular economy and sustainability. In addition to waste collection, we encourage participants to use our app to continue making an impact with challenges and prizes.
Beach clean up initiative carried out for EXTIA by Go Zero Waste
FAQs
The first step is planning and choosing the location . It is essential to contact the local council (in the case of Barcelona, through the Electronic Office) to request the necessary permits and coordinate waste collection with the municipal cleaning services.
To ensure safety and effectiveness, you need:
Heavy-duty gloves (reusable gardening gloves or specific for waste disposal).
Sacks or bags of different colors to separate waste (containers, glass, rest).
Hook scales for weighing the harvest.
Sunscreen and water for the volunteers.
Strainers or sieves if the goal is to remove microplastics.
If you organize the cleanup as a company, association, or other entity , it is highly recommended (and mandatory in many municipalities) to have liability insurance . This covers any incidents that volunteers may experience while carrying out the activity in public spaces.
Do not dispose of them in the regular beach bins. You must arrange a collection point with the local cleaning service (such as BCN Neta in Barcelona). Furthermore, it is vital to characterize the waste (count and weigh it) so that the data can be used for scientific studies and awareness campaigns.
Yes, it’s an activity suitable for all ages. However, if minors participate, they must be accompanied by adults. It’s important to hold an initial safety briefing to warn about dangerous objects (syringes, broken glass) and the importance of not disturbing the dune ecosystem.
Summary and conclusions
We’ve created this essential guide to organizing a beach cleanup to help all individuals and organizations looking to create this impactful activity .
Above all, it’s important to plan well, remember to bring all the necessary materials, and finally make sure to weigh and separate the waste properly for proper management.
✅ We must prioritize safety and legal permits to plan the activity
✅ It’s important to document the before and after, weighing the waste and taking photos, to raise awareness as much as possible.
✅ Only waste should be collected ; algae, shells, and any vegetation are very important for the ecosystem.
✅ We can support organizations that carry out these activities on a recurring basis, so you don’t have to purchase all the materials.
💡 Do you want to organize a beach cleanup?
At Go Zero Waste, we organize beach cleanups throughout Spain for businesses, municipalities, and schools. Book a free call with our team to find out how we can help you.
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