Team tackles 'Cork's dirtiest beach' one broken beer bottle at a time

Volunteers from Clean Coasts Ballynamona during a beach clean at White Bay beach in east Cork. Picture: Cathal Noonan

Weary but unbowed, a dedicated Clean Coasts group will continue to tackle what it believes to be the dirtiest beach in Cork until it is safe for families to enjoy.

Clean Coasts Ballynamona in east Cork completed its second round of litter pickups at White Bay near Trabolgan, finding plastic with labels going back 30 years, as well as broken glass and toilet-related waste.

With the help of 'The Gator' last week the group picked up 18 bags of larger waste, including bags weighing around 20kgs, but that was merely the first go.

Clean Coasts Ballynamona unveiled a new €25,000 four-wheeled utility vehicle named 'The Gator' in April to help it step up its ongoing fight against the scourge of marine litter.

Spokesman Proinsias Ó Tuama said without the help of the vehicle, secured with the support of Flag (Fisheries Local Action Group) funding, and a dedicated band of volunteers, it would have been almost impossible to tackle.

"It is quite disheartening to see how much plastic and styrofoam remains from the 1990s, including milk bottles with labels, as well as broken glass from more recently," Mr Ó Tuama said.

"The beach has become a bit of a spot for anti-social behaviour during lockdowns, but we're hoping that when restrictions are lifted, we'll have strength in numbers to really tackle it."

Until then, we'll keep plugging away. After last week when we tackled a lot of the bigger waste with The Gator, we started on some of the smaller items on Sunday. 

"We'll go again next week for the third time to see what inroads we can make. Yes, it can be wearying, but it's a source of pride to see dedicated people in east Cork keep coming back to help their communities.

"It is a slow process, sometimes you wonder if it's worth it, but you then realise White's Bay could be a fabulous beach for all to visit if clean," he said.

White Bay was a snapshot of what can happen in all communities across the world when it comes to plastic and sewage-related waste, according to Mr Ó Tuama.

"There is more plastic being produced than ever, and trying to scoop up microplastic material can be tedious work," Mr Ó Tuama said. 

"This is why there are such legitimate environmental concerns about plastic. It affects everything, from wildlife to marine life, to the beach itself."

Broken beer bottles are particularly frustrating, he added.

The danger that poses should really be enough of a deterrent, but people engaged in anti-social behaviour do it. 

"I can't fathom such a thing, but some people clearly have no such qualms. It's terrible," he said.

The award-winning Clean Coasts Ballynamona programme tackles litter along 40km, or around 1.5%, of the Irish coastline. 

Mr Ó Tuama began cleaning the beach at Ballynamona strand in 2015, and soon the enthusiasm spiralled. 

Accompanied by two faithful dogs, the secondary school teacher soon attracted members of the community and the team was up to 300 people by last summer.