A 27-tonne mountain of rubish was picked up by volunteers from Irish beaches in just nine days.
Communities on both sides of the border got involved in a total of 254 clean up operations along the coastlines to tidy after those who left their litter behind.
Michael John O’Mahony, Director of Environmental Education at An Taisce said: ‘With almost over 250 events taking place all over the country with the help of 5,450 volunteers, Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week 2019 has been one of our most successful yet.
“The week saw entire communities coming together to have fun and work together in taking care of their local beaches and coastlines.
“Everyone was motivated to help prevent the long term negative impact of marine litter, taking pride in looking after the scenic shorelines in their area.
“I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who got involved, and particularly give recognition to the dedicated volunteers who work hard all year round in protecting and preserving Ireland’s coasts.”
The clean up took place on Saturday, June 1, until Sunday, June 9.
Over the course of the week, in Ireland alone, 189 registered clean ups took place, with 3,591 volunteers taking part in the initiative, up from 2,908 in 2018.
A monumental 22 tonnes of marine litter was removed from Irish shores by volunteers over nine days, four tonnes more than the previous year.
While in Northern Ireland, 65 events took place to clean and appreciate the shorelines.
During the week 1,859 volunteers got involved and filled a towering number of 931 litter bags, which equates to over 5 tonnes of waste.
The initiative also aimed to get the public involved with fun activities based around the water with events including beach yoga and seaweed workshops.
Counties Dublin, Cork, Wexford and Kerry had the highest number of volunteers taking to the beaches.
Speaking about their involvement, Gillian Shields, Packaging and Sustainability Manager, with Coca-Cola said: “Through our involvement in the Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week this year, we are delighted to have helped support the thousands of volunteers across the island of Ireland who are caring for our beaches whilst championing responsible behaviour when it comes to littering.”
