The event, was organised by award-winning Undeb Bangor, Bangor University's Students' Union, in collaboration with Campus Life. The North Wales River Trust also attended and supported the event.
Undeb Bangor was successful in winning an Excellence in Green Impact Award last year and hopes to continue striving for sustainability throughout this academic year. The event kicked off with a speech by representatives from Undeb Bangor’s Beach Clean Volunteering Project. They outlined their plans for the year and their goal to collect more data about the amount and types of litter gathered during beach cleans. They announced plans to launch a new form to gather data from volunteers, hoping it will be beneficial for research purposes.
Josie Ball, Undeb Bangor Volunteering and Community Coordinator, said, “It’s amazing to see so many students come together to clean up our local coastline. Not only that, but there is a real interest in supporting and integrating with our local community by taking part in these activities.
“Our Beach Cleans Volunteering Project is looking forward to supporting the newly formed Keep Bangor Tidy group with their monthly litter picks around Bangor. This project is just one example of our students’ contribution in this space; volunteers work hard across the year to plant trees, monitor our local water vole population and river quality, and develop green spaces.
“They love working with partners such as the North Wales River Trust, Wildlife Trust, and Menter Môn to increase the impact of their work.”
The beach clean was part of an extensive programme of activities hosted by Undeb Bangor as part of Waste Awareness Week. Other activities included a clothes swap and repair café, where 15 items were repaired and saved from going to landfill. Undeb Bangor also teamed up with Cyngor Gwyneddfor community waste visits, which provided an opportunity for both organisations to speak with students about the challenges they face with waste disposal and management. The visits aimed to ensure that tenants have all the information and receptacles needed to recycle properly. During these visits, they visited over 170 houses, handing out information.
