A staggering 3.5 tonnes of pollution was removed from Irish rivers, canals, lakes and beaches this bank holiday weekend.
The horrifying amount of waste dumped in our waters emerged during a major clean-up operation carried out by the environmental charity Flossie and The Beach Cleaners.
The local community eco-initiative kicked-off on Saturday with hundreds of people right across the 26 counties cleaning their local waterways on the same day at the same time.
The enterprising project aimed to calculate the weight of pollution that is present, in and around Irish rivers, canals, lakes and beaches.
Dubliner Flossie Donnelly, 14, and her mum Harriet run the charity that raises awareness around plastic pollution and brings together like-minded people for clean-ups.
Flossie is hailed as Ireland’s Greta Thunberg after making headlines in 2017 when she started collecting plastic and other rubbish from Dublin’s beaches.
Her mum Harriet Donnelly said: “Destructive climate change is evident all around us, and it will take everyone’s support to solve.
“As an environmental charity we see first-hand how much extra pollution has been created during the pandemic including masks, drinks bottles and hand sanitiser bottles that pollute our waterways and kill marine life.”
Flossie has encouraged individuals, schools or businesses to host a workshop or stage a beach clean and insisted it is an ideal way to connect with the community.
The charity tackle plastic pollution and climate change through fun educational workshops and weekly beach cleans.
Volunteer groups received special ‘Flossie Packs’ for cleaning up, with gloves and bags and weighing scales to keep track of all the rubbish collected.
The people who gave up their time to make a positive contribution also received beanie hats and swimming hats for helpers.
Flossie and the Beach Cleaners thanked all the volunteers involved in the country’s very first 26 county water pollution weigh-in.
Harriet added: “Our Big Weigh In event illustrates just how much damaging rubbish is destroying our beautiful natural amenities and hurting marine and wildlife.
“Being part of the solution, and organising a clean-up, shows young people that they can make a difference, and changes attitudes to casual littering and the damage it causes.”
The charity also thanked Peopl Insurance, the Irish Credit Unions insurance provider, for their support of the eco-initiative.
Peopl Insurance CEO Paul Walsh, who said it is inspirational to see so many people who care deeply about our environmental impact, added: “Irish communities faced the pandemic challenge and, by working together, are beating the virus.
“Similarly, we can tackle environmental pollution together and improve our surroundings for everyone, including our natural wildlife.
“Peopl Insurance is proud to support Flossie and The Beach Cleaners, and we want to thank all the volunteers for their tremendous work.”
