Mobilizing Volunteers to Clean Europe's Beaches and Rivers

Surfrider Foundation Europe grew out of a group of surfers in Biarritz, France, in 1990 and now coordinates around fifty local volunteer groups across twelve European countries to fight marine litter and coastal development. Its flagship Ocean Initiatives programme organizes citizen cleanups at beaches, lakes, rivers and seabeds, logging the type and quantity of waste found to build evidence for policy campaigns on plastics and water quality. In 2023 alone, 23,452 volunteers took part in 2,461 cleanups across France, removing more than 1,000 tonnes of waste, with cigarette butts and plastic fragments the most common items found.