'Leave Only Footprints' - Campaign Launched In Rother After 10 Tonnes Of Waste Collected From Beach

After almost 10 tonnes of waste was collected from one beach in Sussex in just one week - a campaign has been launched to clean up Rother's coastline.

While most of the rubbish – the equivalent of around 190,000 plastic bottles, was collected from bins on Camber Sands beach, council leaders are concerned at the amount of litter being left behind by visitors.

As part of the Clean Seas project, launched by UN Environment to address marine plastic pollution, Rother District Council will be displaying posters, designed by Bexhill Environmental Group, urging people to take their rubbish home when bins are full. 

The authority will also place two wooden footprint signs, created by a member of Rother Voluntary Action on the main entrances to Camber Sands and Bexhill beaches asking people to ‘leave only their footprints’.

Cllr Susan Prochak, Rother District Council’s portfolio holder for environment and place, said:

“We all have a duty to help reduce the amount plastic in our oceans, which has a devastating impact on marine life and other wildlife.

“We find that visitors are very good at disposing of their rubbish in one of the many bins provided, but on busy days they quickly become full and we are finding more and more rubbish left beside bins to blow around the beach.

“When the beach is crowded, particularly with current restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our contractors have real difficulty gaining access to remove the rubbish exacerbating the problem.”

Cllr Prochak added:

“People choose to visit our district because it is so special, and I would urge them to respect and protect the environment, help us keep our coastline clean and reduce marine pollution by taking rubbish that won’t fit in a bin home with them.”