Advice

Mechanical Cleaning

If there is currently no possibility to reassess the way beaches are cleaned, there is no other option than to keep the current way. Even though mechanical cleaning has a big effect on the environment and the ecosystems that are in it. We get that it can be difficult to change the way things are done, also budget-wise. However if the situation changes or the possibility for change opens up in the future, and we recommend taking the decision tree again, to consider other options.

A little improvement could be in the way the beach is mechanically cleaned. Sifting is more damaging to the environment than for example raking. When sifting lots of meiofauna is also taken out of the soil, which happens less when raking is implemented. A disadvantage of raking is that smaller waste, like cigarette butts, is also not taken up by the machine. Another option could be using wider sifts, so the smaller meiofauna remains in the sand. However again smaller waste, like plastic shards and cigarette butts will also stay behind.

Alternatives are to move the wrack that is present on the beach to the edges of the beach that are less frequently visited. This way the nutrients still stay at the beach, But the part that the tourists visit can be cleaned. In addition, more waste bins could be added, or the waste bins could be emptied more frequently. This way the chance of litter just being dumped on the beach is lower, reducing the cleaning costs.

Smoke-free zones could also be implemented. This way smoking is totally prohibited on the beach or smokers could have a designated area where they can smoke, like a terrace. preventing cigarettes from ending up on the beaches can already result in a lower need to clean mechanically.