Community cleaning initiatives

Keeping Orkney clean is something we can all play a part in. Whether you want to tidy up your local beach, organise a community clean or just pick up a piece of litter on your way home, every effort makes a difference.

Around 80% of litter in Scotland's marine environment gets there from land, carried by rivers, drains and wind. What we leave behind on land does not stay there.

Bag the Bruck

Every year in April, we run Bag the Bruck, our annual community clean of beaches and coastal areas across Orkney. Volunteers of all ages are welcome.

Look out for details on our website and social media each spring, or contact us if you would like to get involved.

Organising your own clean

If you would like to organise a beach clean, litter pick or community tidy-up at any time of year, here are some tips.

• For small cleans, take any litter home and put it in your own bin, or bring it to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.
• For larger events where you cannot take the waste away yourself, contact us in advance to discuss options.
• When you are collecting, you can still separate metals and plastic bottles for recycling. A quick rinse is all they need. Consider splitting your volunteers into teams for refuse, metals and plastic bottles to make recycling even easier on the day.
• For marine debris that is too large to remove yourself, report it once your clean is complete to reportdebris@salmonscotland.co.uk. You will need a What3Words location and a photograph of the debris. A local fishery will then arrange collection.

Litter: what you can do every day

You do not need to organise an event to make a difference. Simple everyday actions help.

• If you spot litter on a walk, pick it up and take it with you.
• Report problem areas or regular litter hotspots to us so we can look at them.
• Encourage others. A community that cares about litter tends to have less of it.