Volunteers take part in big beach clean in Harwich

25 September 2025

A team of volunteers have come out in force in Harwich for a big beach litter pick as part of a national environmental campaign.

The beach clean, close to the town’s sailing club, was organised by Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s fortnight-long Great British Beach Clean event.

Employees from HHA were joined by volunteers from a variety of local charities and organisations, including the Mayflower Primary School, Trinity House and Home-Start Harwich, alongside members of the Harwich community.

Linzi Jobber, HHA’s Sustainability Manager, said:

“As a Trust Port we see ourselves as custodians of the environment in our communities. With this in mind we always want to support initiatives which help keep our wonderful beaches clean.

“We all know that ocean plastic pollution is a big problem worldwide and while the scale of this issue may seem overwhelming there are things everyone can do to play their part.

“We hope by running a litter pick locally we will encourage more people to love the environment where they live and want to do their bit to protect it for future generations to enjoy.

“If a beach is litter-free it can help put off people dropping litter in the first place and perhaps take on a litter pick themselves too.

“In support of the event, we also refilled the beach’s ‘two-minute clean’ stations, which contain litter picking tools and reusable bags both made from recycled ocean plastics.

“The idea was to go out and collect as much litter as we could, which we logged with the Marine Conservation Society via an app.

“This information is then used to give a picture of how clean our beaches are nationwide, helping organisations such as the Marine Conservation Society lobby government for change.”

The event in Harwich was one of almost 250 beach cleans taking place throughout the two-week initiative.

“The beach clean also took place a day before World Maritime Day, which I think was a perfect way to mark the occasion,” said Linzi.

The beach clean forms part of HHA’s Coastal Discoveries scheme, which also includes HHA’s beach school events, offering schoolchildren the chance to learn about the coastal environment and spark a love of nature.

For more information on HHA’s beach schools programme and to book a place, visit www.hha.co.uk/news/thousands-of-children-from-essex-and-suffolk-to-take-part-in-beach-school-workshops