Great British Beach Clean 
Help make 2019 the biggest clean-up ever!
As well as the regular Beachwatch events throughout the year, the Marine Conservation Society(MCS) organise the Great British Beach Clean which takes place in September each year.

This year it’s happening on the 20^th to the 23^rd September 2019.
You can register or join in with a pre-arranged event so that the data can be included in the survey. At every Beachwatch beach clean, volunteers survey the first 100m of beach. The data collected at these events is shared with the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC), contributing to a worldwide report on litter levels. MCS also analyses the data and uses the results to raise awareness of pollution and tackle it at source in the UK.

More information can be found on the MCS website and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths team are also available for advice or may know of an event near you.

Here’s a summary of Suffolk's results from last year’s survey…

Household Batteries 
Don’t forget that batteries can be recycled at all major retailers and at all of Suffolk’s Recycling Centres. Just store them at home in a leak proof container (a jam jar is ideal) and take them along when you next visit. If you can’t find where they go, just ask a member of staff.

You find batteries in many household items: toys, remote controls, mobile phones, watches, alarm clocks and even doorbells, but there are many ways to reduce single-use batteries - buying recharging items or using rechargeable batteries, along with solar and dynamo solutions too.

Please don’t put batteries in your rubbish bin. Although we no longer send waste to landfill in Suffolk, using batteries as a fuel for energy from waste (EfW) is not ideal. Batteries contain heavy metals and other hazardous materials that need to be separated and recycled, including lead, cadmium, zinc and lithium. 

Recycling batteries safely and correctly is a great way to help protect the environment. Each battery placed in a designated battery recycling bin will be taken apart and the materials will be used to make something new.