Eco Force group leader, Alex Graham, 65, said: We were very well supported and we were joined for the first time by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Source: eveningtelegraph.co.uk

Glass bottles, plastic dustbins and even a FRIDGE — these are just some of the dangerous items cleared from our beaches.

Monifieth Eco Force filled dozens of bin bags and drove away four trailer-loads of rubbish after lifting dumped items from a 500m stretch of beach at Barry Buddon over the weekend.

The team pulls a fridge out of the water near Barry Buddon during the operation.

The team of around 30 volunteers from the Eco Force, Monifieth Rotary, Zero Waste Scotland and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Dundee received special clearance from the Ministry of Defence to access the beach, which is overlooked by the Barry Buddon Training Area.

Eco Force group leader, Alex Graham, 65, said: “We had been concerned that there was so much litter in that area so it took a while to get organised and gain access to the beach.

“We had to arrange transport and trailers because we knew some of the stuff was very big.

“There were plastic dustbins, various assorted containers, bottles and a fridge as well.

“Everyone did a great job, but we may need to go back as there was still a bit of debris left and some rope buried beneath the sand.”

Alex, of Monifieth, stressed that the sheer number of items found shows that people need to be more considerate of the environment before dumping unwanted goods into rivers and the sea.

He said: “Most of the stuff at Barry has been washed ashore. Because of the base it’s hard to drive down and dump stuff.

“It’s really difficult to tell where exactly, but some of it will come from rivers or beaches down the coast.

I think most people dump their stuff because they aren’t prepared to pay the costs to have it removed. Some people are just lazy.

“However, the items are dangerous and Barry is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) so it needs to be protected.

“Particularly for small wading birds, those sort of things, such as plastic bags, can be quite dangerous for wildlife.

“We’d obviously like to see a considerable change in attitudes on throwing things out and thinking about the damage it can cause.”

Alex wanted to thank the dozens of volunteers who came out to help with the clean-up, It was one of the biggest groups they had ever put together to tackle to rubbish.

He said: “We were very well supported and we were joined for the first time by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who had about eight members, which was great.

“I’m not sure how many we had altogether, but it must have been about 30 people, which makes it one of the biggest turn-outs.

“So I’d like to thank them all for their help.”