TWO beach cleans have pulled in dozens of bags of rubbish to make our area cleaner.
Community beach cleans took place in Helensburgh next to the pier and at Craigendoran with the help of volunteers at Plastic Free Helensburgh, Helensburgh Community Council and Hope Community Church.
On July 27, the volunteers removed pieces of plastic, both large and small.
Organisers said: "The beach, promenade and pier are looking much better for the holiday season."
Dory Reeves and Katherine Pitt (Image: Ross Gardner)
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
All the helpers from Saturdays beach clean (Image: Ross Gardner)
Dory Reeves (Image: Ross Gardner)
On July 29, members of Hope Community Church and others were joined by visitors from Watershed Fellowship, South Carolina, who were in Helensburgh on their annual mission to Scotland.
The organisers said: "Thousands of pieces of plastic were found along the tideline including plastic cotton bud sticks, pieces of cellophane and sweet wrapper, bottle tops and rings.
"Sixteen bin bags were collected, a great achievement, as the rubbish is mostly in tiny pieces.
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
Sarah Davies, from Plastic Free Helensburgh (Image: Ross Gardner)
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
"It was great to have children join in both events.
"Plastic rubbish in the sea harms wildlife and ruins our enjoyment of beaches. It's estimated there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world's oceans.
"You can play your part in keeping Helensburgh's beaches plastic free by never putting plastic items, including wet wipes, down toilets or drains and keeping rubbish out of rivers and the sea. Keep a bin by your toilets, and avoid buying single use plastic items as much as you can.
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
Beach clean efforts near Helensburgh Pier (Image: Ross Gardner)
Volunteers with rubbish from the beach at Craigendoran (Image: Plastic Free Helensburgh)
"Go a step further and join in the regular beach cleans, which are a fun way to get to know other locals while making a difference to your community. Contact plasticfreehelensburgh@gmail.com or find us on Facebook for more details."
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