What…
On September 14th 2019 we’re hosting the first-ever Mindful Chef Coastal Clean Up, and we need the help of our community. We are hosting events on more than 100 beaches across the UK, to clean up our coastline and protect marine life.
With just over one week to go, we’d love to see how many more people can join us. Scroll down for a full list of locations!
Why…
As a certified B Corp, we aim to use business as a force for good, putting people and the planet first.
Every day, 8 million pieces of plastic find their way into our oceans, meaning there’s now up to 269,000 tonnes floating in the sea. Not only is it having a severe impact on the livelihood of sea creatures; it’s also ending up on our beaches. We want to harness the power of our community to help tackle the tide of plastic pollution.
Locations…
| Aldeburgh Suffolk | Machrie Beach, Isle of Arran |
| Arbroath, Scotland | Margate Beach |
| Bali | Milford-on-Sea |
| Widemouth Bay | Near Brighton (possibly Saltdean) |
| Brighton | Newbiggin By The Sea, Newcastle |
| Brighton & Hove | Newport, Pembrokeshire |
| Hastings | Ogmore By Sea |
| Bude, North Cornwall | Portishead |
| Cayton Bay | Portobello Beach |
| Chalkwell Beach | Portsmouth |
| Clacton-on-Sea | Ramsgate Beach |
| Cleethorpes | Rossall beach near Cleveleys |
| Clevedon, Somerset | Runswick Bay |
| Costa Calida, Spain | Salcombe |
| Cramond, Scotland | Saltburn Beach |
| Cullen in Moray | Sandbanks, Dorset |
| Devon | Sandsend beach near Whitby |
| Dunraven Bay | Scarborough |
| Durley Chine Beach | Seaton Carew |
| Eastbourne | Shoreham Beach |
| Either West Kirby or Hoylake in the Wirral | Sidmouth |
| Exmouth Community College | Silecroft Beach |
| Felixstowe, Suffolk | Skegness |
| Formby Beach | Southampton |
| Frinton-on-Sea, Essex beach | Southend-on-Sea |
| Gaddings Dam | Tentsmuir |
| Hants/Dorset border | Thames beach |
| Hengistbury Head Beach | Thames Beach near Docklands |
| Highcliff Beach | Tyninghame |
| Holywell Beach, Eastbourne | Tywyn beach |
| Hopeman | Viking Bay |
| Hopetoun, South Queensferry | West Wittering |
| Hove | Weston |
| Kinmel Bay, North Wales | Weston Super Mare |
| Lancing, Sussex | Whitstable |
| Ribble Estuary | Wittering |
| Looe, Cornwall | Worthing |
| Benone Strand | Broadstairs |
| Camber Sands | Silioth Beach |
| Hemsby Beach | Camber Sands |
| Wells next to the sea | Isle of Man |
To take part at one of the above locations, join our Facebook event and email alice@mindfulchef.com to be linked up with your local host.
On the day…
PREPARATION IS KEY
Here are a few things to check off before you get started:
- We recommend you check tide times for low tide on the 14th, to ensure the most beach is exposed when you carry out your clean
- As they say the more, the merrier – make sure you let your friends and family know what you are doing! You could do this through our Facebook event page, or entice your local community by organising your own post-cleaning activity, such as yoga or a game of rounders
- Make sure your meeting point is easy to locate and if possible, near to recycling bins to properly dispose of the litter you collect
- Try to avoid using one-use plastic gloves – take regular gloves or maybe invest in a litter picker
- Be prepared for ALL types of weather – it is the British coast after all!
- Pack a picnic or BBQ. Make a day of it and relax after all of your hard work. For recipe inspo, browse our collection here.
LET THE CLEANING COMMENCE!
Okay, so it’s the 14th of September. You’re meeting your team at a designated point, tide times checked, bin bags in hand…you’re ready to go.
As you clean:
- Make sure to document the number of bin bags filled and how many people attend on the day, so that your host can let us know how much plastic pollution we’ve collectively managed to remove from our beaches
- Snap, Snap, Snap – make sure to take lots of pictures! We would love if you could take a pre-cleaning team shot and then an after shot with the rubbish collected, as well as before and after pictures of your beach. This way, not only can you share the pictures with your friends but we can see what a great job our community has done.
SO WHAT NOW?
The clean is complete and you have collected a mountain of litter. All that is left is to properly dispose of your filled bin bags. Our advice is to locate your nearest household waste recycling centre and empty the contents into the correct bins, recycling where possible. You can then take the empty bin bags home to fill with your organic food waste and then decompose into nutrient-rich compost for your garden.
Win a month of Mindful Chef
Share your photos from the day for your chance to win a whole month of recipe boxes! All you have to do is post your photos on social media (Instagram, Facebook or Twitter – stories count!) along with the hashtag #MCCoastClean and tagging us in @MindfulChefUK. The lucky winner will be chosen on September 23rd – full T&Cs can be found on our Facebook page. Good luck!
We’re really excited about this event and can’t wait to work with our community for such a positive cause.