Beach Warrior

Beach litter is a huge and growing problem to which there is no single solution. It is not just an eyesore - it kills marine wildlife and can inflict major health and economic problems on local communities. A range of measures are needed to combat this problem, starting with concerted efforts to raise public awareness. This needs to be coupled with systems aimed at ensuring that as little litter as possible ever gets on to the beach. But we have to accept that some litter will always get through to our beaches so we also need fast, effective methods of removing it. Flat, sandy beaches can be cleaned by machines which scoop up the top layer of sand and filter out objects above a given size. However, even this has a negative environmental impact in that it destroys the natural strand-line, where seaweed accumulates and forms a habitat for small marine animals. It is also expensive. But on rocky coastlines and beaches composed mainly of pebbles the only alternative is people power. This website will show you how, at Penarth, we have harnessed this resource to transform a difficult to manage beach from little better than a rubbish dump to a place we can be proud of.

The Beach Wardens at Penarth are all unpaid volunteers who give up some of their free time to help keep Penarth beach free of litter. The group are independent of both the local town council and the county council but all Wardens are members of the Penarth Civic Society, which covers the general administration for the group, negotiates licences and other working relationships with beach owners and local authorities, and pays the necessary insurance premiums.