1,000kg worth of rubbish collected in charity clean-up, with vapes 'the newest offender' 

440 volunteers took part in the 'Big Weigh In' on Sunday.

More than 1,000kg worth of rubbish has been lifted from beaches, canals, lakes and rivers across the country this bank holiday weekend. 

Some 440 volunteers took part in the 'Big Weigh In' on Sunday, a community clean-up challenge run by the Flossie and The Beach Cleaners environmental group. Between them, they collected 1,033.2kg worth of waste, including 20kg worth of dog waste that was scooped up in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow. 

The challenge aims to show the amount of pollution that is present on one day in and around Ireland's waterways. 

Last year, the group collected 3,456kgs of rubbish with more volunteers taking part, which the charity says may suggest people are starting to take more of their rubbish home with them.

The group found while there were fewer masks compared to last year, 2022 threw up a new offender — vaping pens. As well as vapes, the group said there were "endless wipes, plastic bottles and coffee cups" cleaned up. 

Other finds included a live field mouse trapped in packaging that was later set free, a car bumper and an 'adult toy'. 

Flossie Donnelly, the 15-year-old student who started the annual event by setting up a beach cleaning club in Dublin back in 2017, said: "Our planet is covered by over 70% of water and we are doing what we can to slow climate change down. It may be small to most people but if everyone chose some small act to help stop climate change it would help the planet, and you feel great for trying."

Many children took part in the national clean-up project.

Flossie's mother, Harriet Donnelly — the head of the charity — said the group saw firsthand how much extra pollution the pandemic created in waterways. 

"Masks, plastic bottles, wipes and single-use coffee cups polluted our waterways and did so much damage to the marine life and the biosphere. A year on, there are less masks but still endless wipes, plastic bottles, coffee cups and the newest offender for 2022 are vapes," she said. 

The countrywide event was funded by Irish Waterways. The charity runs workshops for junior and senior schools as well as running monthly national beach cleans and weekly beach cleans in Dublin Bay. 

"We love what we do and love to connect with the community," said Flossie.

“Our Big Weigh In shows just how much damage pollution is causing to the planet. Being part of the solution, and organising a clean-up, shows young people that they can make a difference, and once you see pollution on clean-up, you can't unsee it.