Thank you for your interest in leading an SAS beach clean. We’ve created the STEP BY STEP guide below to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for you to organise a beach clean for your community. Most of your questions can be answered here so please do have a good look. If you still need help please email Jack on beachcleans@sas.org.uk..
Organise Your Own Beach Clean
So you want to hold your own beach clean? Amazing! Here’s our 4 step process to organising the event. Questions? See our FAQ’s below as well as our top tips.
1. First things first, please download and fill in the following documents
- ‘Pre-Event Checklist’ – This lets us get to know you and your event to provide as much help as possible.
- ‘Beach-Manager-Notification-Letter’ – This notifies the owner of the beach, often the local council or the National Trust, that you are intending to carry out a beach clean. Once you have filled in the missing details from the letter please send to the enquiries email of the correct owner (copy and paste ‘FAO Beach Management Team – Volunteer Beach Clean’ into the subject field of your email).
- SAS-Risk-Assessment-Template – Please read through our risk assessment and add any additional risks that may be specific to your chosen beach clean site.
- SAS-Safety-Guidelines – Please read our safety guidelines and use them to add to your risk assessment if necessary.
2. Send the completed ‘Pre-event Checklist’ to Jack Middleton via email at beachcleans@sas.org.uk. We’d love to hear about all your amazing efforts to protect our oceans and this information will allow us to promote your event and send you the right amount of equipment. After confirmation you will be covered by our public liability insurance.
3. Print off the following documents to have with you on the day of the beach clean to show volunteers who wish to read them:
- Public Liability Insurance
- Volunteer-Sign-In-Document – this allows volunteers to sign up to our emails and hear all about our campaigns and fundraisers
- SAS-Risk-Assessment-Template
- Surfers Against Sewage – Child Protection Policy 2016 17
4. Don’t forget to Say ‘Thank You!’ – Your beach clean volunteers are donating a valuable thing to support us, their time! Weekends are precious things and the fact that people not only want but actually look forward to spending that time with us is a truly inspiring thing.
What your fellow Beach Clean Organisers say
Organising your own Beach Clean - FAQs
Do I need permission from the Council/beach owner/manager?
We use the term ‘notification’, as they don’t always get back to us and that shouldn’t stop us cleaning the beaches we love. All you have to do is follow our ‘Organise Your Own Beach Clean guide’ and we are happy that we have done enough.
Which beach do you want me to clean?
Yours! Every single beach is affected by plastic pollution and deserves our protection.
How old do I have to be to organise my own SAS Beach Clean?
There is no age limit, however if you are under 18 we do ask that you have someone over 18 to support you.
Will I be insured to organise my own beach clean?
Yes, once you have completed steps 1-6 of our ’Organise Your Own Beach Clean’ guide.
When should I promote my beach clean?
You can get started as soon as you have received the go ahead from SAS HQ. We can provide tips and assets to help you make loads of noise!
Can I set up my own Facebook Event?
Yeah, go for it! This is a great way of creating a buzz about your beach clean and keeping your volunteers updated. You can download some social media profile and cover images here
Do I have to write and send a press release?
Your local press always really like to hear of inspiring community activities. All you have to do is put together a short write up of the day in your own words, label and add some of your favourite photos (1MB or above) from the day and send it to the ‘news@ or editor@ email address. Remember to mention SAS and our aim to create plastic free coastlines together #PlasticFreeCoastlines
Will I receive some posters?
We can send you some out but it would be great if you were able to print your own off here. Get them out and up around your beach as early as you can!
Do I have to provide my own bin bags and gloves?
We’re aiming for 25,000 volunteers across the UK so will be asking people to bring their own where possible. Please indicate how many you think you will need on your pre event check list and we can send some out.
When will I receive my beach clean kit?
We’ll send it to you as everything is confirmed.
What do I do with all the rubbish that we collect?
This is one of the reasons that it’s best if you can make contact with the Council/beach owner/manager. Your ‘notification letter’ outlines the best practice here. However, if in doubt, bag it up well and put it in or next to the beach bins.
Can I recycle the ocean plastic that we find?
Yes please! If you have found significant numbers of clean, relatively new PET plastic bottles then please let us know and we can connect you with your nearest SAS X Ecover Ocean Plastic Bottle Hub.
For all other plastic if it looks clean and relatively new, why not do some ‘Rebel Recycling’ and put it in your domestic recycling?!
What happens after my beach clean?
When you have completed your beach clean please send back your ‘SAS Beach Clean Feedback Form’ and a selection of your photos to beachcleans@sas.org.uk.
Will I get to hear how my beach clean helped?
You’re part of the SAS beach clean family now! We hope you’ll stay in touch with us for many years to come and play a big part in helping us to create plastic free coastlines. We’ll let you know what’s happening and how you can stay involved.