Across the summer, Essex Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers monitor beach-nesting birds in key locations across Essex’s coastline.

While monitoring the nests and birds on the beach at Colne Point nature reserve, the Trust’s Coastal Ranger and volunteers noticed a large amount of beach toys being washed up.

When plastic and other discarded items enter the sea and get washed up on beaches, they can have negative impacts on wildlife, including as choking hazards or entangling traps. It is estimated that 12.2 million tonnes of plastic enter the sea every year.

The Trust’s team set out to collect all washed-up toys at this nature reserve across the summer, with the aim of donating them to charities in the hopes that they could be re-used.

In three months alone, 75 tennis balls and dog toys were collected, as well as over 50 buckets, spades, footballs and other beach toys. As Colne Point nature reserve is not open to the public, these items are likely to have been carried by the waves from the surrounding beaches of Clacton, Jaywick, Point Clear, Brightlingsea and Mersea.

All dog toys were donated to the National Animal Welfare Trust in Clacton, and all other toys were donated to Clacton’s Unsealed shop, which runs the beach-toy library, offering free items for holidaymakers to borrow and enjoy.

This beach clean-up is part of Essex Wildlife Trust’s recently-launched initiative, Essex Pollution Project, looking to understand more about Essex’s litter and its impacts. The project will be running beach cleans and litter picks at the Trust’s Nature Discovery Centres to collect data about the county’s rubbish. At Colne Point nature reserve, over 200 helium balloons and countless plastic bottles, cigarette butts and disposable vapes were also collected.

Essex Wildlife Trust runs monthly beach cleans at The Naze Nature Discovery Centre.

Adam Nixon, Coastal Ranger for Essex Wildlife Trust, said:

“It is sad to see plastic and other rubbish being washed up on nature reserves in such high numbers. These areas are supposed to be safe spaces for wildlife, but we found some of these discarded toys just centimetres away from bird nests. Our focus at this site is to monitor breeding birds on this coastline, but we have also had a positive secondary purpose this summer, which has given lots of discarded items a recycled new life.”

Alex Smith, Marine and Coastal Engagement Officer for Essex Wildlife Trust, said:

"This is just one of many examples of plastics and litter polluting our beautiful coastline and vital habitats. As part of the new Plastic Pollution Project, we will be running beach cleans and litter picks across our sites and recording the litter we find to help us learn more about it. We'll also be working with local communities to encourage them to do their own litter picks and share tips on how to reduce plastic consumption and help protect our wildlife.”

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