Beach Clean Up

In the picture, a group of students is cleaning up a beach, wearing gloves and carrying rubbish bags. Some are picking up plastic bottles and straws from the sand, while others are collecting litter near the water's edge. However, I also notice that a few students are sitting down at the side and looking at their phones instead of helping. What stands out to me is the difference between the two groups, even though they came for the same activity.

My class took part in a litter-picking activity at a park connector near our school last year. I was surprised by how much rubbish was hidden in the grass, especially cigarette butts and small pieces of plastic that you would never notice while walking past. My group filled almost two whole bags in one hour. Since then, I have become much more aware of litter around my neighbourhood, and I make sure to hold onto my rubbish until I find a bin.

I think schools do it because some lessons cannot be taught in a classroom. Reading about pollution in a textbook is very different from kneeling on the sand and pulling out plastic that has been buried there for months. It also teaches responsibility for shared spaces, since the beach belongs to everybody and yet nobody in particular takes care of it. Most importantly, I feel it changes behaviour, because after you have cleaned up someone else's litter, you are far less likely to leave your own.