Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean is returning to Waterford for their tenth year with 15 clean ups planned for the county.
The Big Beach Clean invites volunteers to remove litter from the Irish coast once the Summer season has ended - essentially we are being invited to clean up after ourselves!
Clean ups started yesterday, with more being conducted today, tomorrow and later on in the month.
A virtual map of locations can be found via the Clean Coasts website.
Sinéad McCoy, Clean Coasts Coastal Community Manager, told WLR about the most commonly found litter.
"Plastic and plastic bottles are always a big offender, but even more so smoking litter is a massive problem for us. We're always finding cigarette butts at beaches," she said.
Sinéad said that single use plastics, sanitary waste such as wet wipes and cotton buds are another massive problem and that fishing litter is more common on the West Coast than the East.
Throughout the country there are over 500 beach clean ups planned.
If you part take in one, you will be contributing to a giant international science experiment.
You will be provided with a Marine Litter Data Card where you will record what kind of rubbish you find. This information will then be used to shape different projects educational programmes that Clean Coasts will provide next year.
The Data Cards also help to heighten awareness around the problem of marine litter as it will show the magnitude of the issue.
Last years Beach Clean Ups saw 42 tonnes of rubbish being removed across 400 different locations.
The use of the Data Cards also helps to shape future policies and campaigns.
Data collected around the world has led to a ban on plastic grocery bags, and prohibiting smoking-related litter, mass balloon releases, and foam food and beverage take away conatiners.
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