Infotel Tidy Tides: Our Beach Clean at Tynemouth Longsands

Earlier this month, several members of our UK team got together to conduct a beach clean along one of our North Tyneside beaches. As part of our dedication to environmental preservation and giving back to our community, the first weekend in June as the perfect opportunity to volunteer our spare time for a cause close to our hearts.

We welcomed support from a handful of hardworking members of the public, meaning community engagement and team building were bonuses to our afternoon. Starting bright and early, we split off into pairs to walk along the Tynemouth Longsands beach to collect any rubbish in the sand or surrounding areas. The beach has been awarded a Blue Flag by the Marine Conservation Society, meaning it is internationally recognised for its clean bathing water and excellent visitor facilities – so we knew our litter-picking efforts were going towards the maintenance of this important title.

Supported with equipment and insight from North Tyneside council, a key responsibility of the event was recording the types of litter collected. By being as specific as possible about the rubbish found – ranging from cigarette ends to socks – the data could be collated and used for international research into the biggest challenges facing our coastlines.

In the United Kingdom, an average of 425 items of litter per 100 meters of beach were recorded in the last four years. The European Environment Agency reports that there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, much of which ultimately washes up on the beaches. Our bags of litter were weighed before being disposed of responsibly. As we collaborated with the Marine Conservation Society to organise the beach clean, it meant information produced as a result can be used to support their Manifesto for our Seas. Using data to improve the world around us is at the heart of all we do at Infotel, and the UK team were delighted to support such important research.

As well as providing educational opportunities for our employees to learn about environmental issues and sustainable waste management, giving back to our local community as a result of volunteer work is a trait close to the heart of our company. Priding ourselves upon our commitment to creating and maintaining sustainable ecosystems, Infotel’s long-term sustainability goals involve participating in initiatives demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship. We’d love to hear your thoughts on weekend volunteer activities, specifically when it comes to endorsing work done to protect our environment. To organise your own beach clean, contact The Marine Conservation Society via their website.