Do a beach clean
- Join us - Volunteers can be found on the beach every Sunday morning from 8:30am, starting from either end of the beach. Anyone can join them! All you need to bring are gloves and a reusable bag, and a litter picker if you have one (these are not provided). Look out for the PFE team in our blue hoodies, coats or t-shirts, depending on the weather!
- Carry a bag for litter - carry one whenever you go to the beach, and gloves if you can, so you have something to collect any litter you find in. You will find some!
- Do a 2-minute beach clean - there are beach clean stations around the town, from where you can grab a picker and a bag and get picking! Stations located at:
- Sideshore, at the top of the ramp to the beach
- outside The Point Bar & Grill
Refill your water bottle
Carry a reusable bottle and use one of the many water fountains dotted around Exmouth. We also have many cafes and other places who are happy to refill your bottle for you for free. Look out for the Refill logo above for places who have committed to the Refill revolution.
Shop plastic clever
We have a range of businesses in Exmouth where you can buy plastic free groceries, gifts and other products, as well as many more who sell second-hand items.
Look at our list of Plastic Free Champions to find businesses who take their plastic footprint seriously and are trying to reduce it.
Use collection points for hard to recycle items
Around Exmouth you can recycle many hard to recycle items, such as:
- soft plastics and items such as crisp packets at Co-op or Tesco
- blister packs, make-up and electrical items at Superdrug
- battery recycling points can be found at Lidl, Tesco, Superdrug, Exmouth Community College reception, and many other locations. Or put them out with your kerbside recycling, separated into a bag. Budleigh Lions also have a button battery recycling scheme
- used spectacles can be recycled at Specsavers in Exmouth, Bennett & Rogers opticians in Budleigh and McAusland Optometrists in Exmouth, collected on behalf of Budleigh Lions
The organisation Terracycle is dedicated to helping people find ways to recycle items, and they have a map of collection points for all sorts of hard to recycle items across the whole of the UK.
The organisation Recycle Now also has a recycling locator, to help you find out where to recycle things wherever you live - just enter the item and search your postcode.
Don't use single-use BBQs on the beach
Every summer we collect tens of disposable BBQs that have been left behind. Small portable BBQs make a great alternative.
If you do use one, take it away and don't leave hot coals on the beach - they pose a danger, especially to pets and children, as they can burn anyone walking barefoot. Under sand they remain hot for hours.
Plastic Free Occasions & Celebrations
Think about how to reduce your plastic usage for big occasions such as Christmas, Easter and birthdays. We regularly share ideas on our social media, and at Christmas we ran a plastic-free advent campaign, with many hacks that can work for more than just Christmas.
Some easy ways to reduce plastic at events include:
- Avoid balloons, even biodegradable ones - if these get released, whether by accident or on purpose, they will likely end up in the sea around Exmouth, where they can be ingested by, smother or entangle marine life. Biodegradable balloons do not degrade quickly, and will have the same impact.
- Plant a tree to mark the occasion
- Use fabric or paper bunting instead of plastic banners or balloons
- Use reusable crockery, cutlery and cups
- Plastic-free party bags
