VOLUNTEERS were out in force last weekend giving beaches around Aberystwyth a spring clean.

At Tan-y-Bwlch Beach on Saturday, 8 April, 17 volunteers helped remove 30kg of waste as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s quarterly survey, which is carried out at beaches across the UK to help paint a picture of the state of the country’s beaches.

Sian Obermaier, of Aberystwyth Beach Buddies, said of the waste collected: “This included 8kg of fly-tipped scrap metal which was evidently driven down beyond the barrier onto this nature reserve and SSSI, dumped onto the beach and burnt.

“There was also a fly-tipped tyre, one of several we have found dumped — not washed up — on this beach in recent months. We saved 4kg of recyclables from going to landfill from the total haul.

“Identified among the burnt fly-tipping was an angle grinder, drill motor, gearbox, mugs, tools, a torch and a string of batteries, all of which could have been recycled locally.”

The environmental group Surfers Against Sewage also held beach cleans at Aberystwyth South Beach on Saturday, and at Borth Beach on Sunday as part of its UK-wide Spring Beach Clean.

The events were preceded by a ‘pay-as-you-feel meal and talk’, hosted by Aber Food Surplus at Mind Aberystwyth, Mill Street, on Wednesday, 5 April, where the topic of conversation was Microplastics in the Oceans.

Laura Truelove, Surfers Against Sewage rep for Aberystwyth, said: “These community cafés form a great platform for gathering the local community to discuss how we can tackle pressing issues, such as marine litter, collaboratively."

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