Rejuvenating our coasts: Kildare volunteers remove an estimated 1.3 tonnes of litter during ‘Big Beach Clean’ 2025
Nearly 11,000 people were involved in this year's iteration of the initiative
As part of the 'Big Beach Clean 2025', volunteers in County Kildare removed an estimated 1.3 tonnes of litter last weekend.
It follows after Clean Coasts first announced the 2025 iteration of the 'Big Beach Clean' last month.
According to Clean Coasts, an estimated 60 tonnes of marine litter were removed from Ireland’s coastline between September 19 last and September 21 last — "That's the equivalent of approximately nine elephants," Clean Costs added.
During this period of time, it is estimated that nearly 11,000 volunteers across the country took part in over 520 clean-ups at coastal and inland waterways.
In the context of County Kildare, 220 volunteers from 20 separate groups removed an estimated 1.3 tonnes of marine litter.
Among them, more than 20 Volunteers from Maynooth Tidy Towns cleaned along banks of Royal Canal for the 'Big Beach Clean' 2025.
With the help of member Vinny Mulready's creation of a long-handled net, they removed litter from the water including bottles, cans, plastic bags, shopping trolleys and more.
Maynooth Tidy Towns Volunteer using their long-handled litter picking net to removed litter from the water. Photograph supplied by Mary Kate Hickey, communications officer for Clean Coasts
In addition, Kia Ireland, who supported the event, provided clean-ups kits and supplies to the thousands of volunteers throughout the country who registered their clean-up actions.
Clean Coasts also said that it welcomed the support of Kia Ireland and that it also "enjoyed meeting with dealerships across the country who also got involved in clean ups in their area".
Bronagh Moore, the programme manager of Clean Coasts, said that she was "delighted" with the results of the latest 'Big Beach Clean'.
She elaborated: "Recent surveys show that our beaches are becoming cleaner and that’s in no small part down to the dedicated volunteers who clean our beaches, waterways, towns and villages throughout the year.
"Together, we are making a tangible difference in keeping our beaches clean and in protecting our marine life; we thank each and every one of them for their contribution as well as the local councils that support them."
Ms Moore added: "We would encourage everyone to stay involved and keep active in their local Clean Coasts Group and in their communities."