Adapted from Guideline for monitoring marine litter on the beaches in the OSPAR maritime area
A stretch of beach at least 100m in length is recommended. The site should be divided into 10m segments, which can be marked using sticks of bamboo. If you’re combining this with a microplastics assessment, be sure to follow that protocol for setting up the sample plots.
Materials
- Clipboard with a form to keep track of what is collected
- Bag to fill in the plastic waste
- Bag for non plastic waste
- Small container for cigarette butts
- Reusable gloves
Methods
Work in teams of 3 with 2 cleaners and one note taker.
- Take a picture of your section before you start
- Collect waste:
- Write down what you pick up below
- Put cigarette butts in a separate container
- Take a picture after you finish
- Take the bag(s) back to homebase
- Take a picture of the filled bags
- Weigh bags and write down the total in the form
- If you’re working with other teams feel free to join them
| Type | # of pieces | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Plastics | ||
| Cigarette butts | ||
| Metal | ||
| Glass |
| Rank | Most common types of waste found: |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 |
| Rank | Most common plastics found: |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 |