Bodyboard Amnesty for Bude

Transforming Beaches with Sustainable Solutions

This summer we’re on a mission. To rid Bude of cheap polystyrene bodyboards. We’ve teamed up with Keep Britain Tidy’s Ocean Recovery Project, The 2-Minute Foundation, Cleaner Seas Project and Zuma Jay to shine a light on tidal trash. Over the 2024 summer season we’re collecting broken and abandoned bodyboards from our beloved beaches and coastline. These seemingly innocent summer staples, often discarded after minimal use, reveal a significant environmental threat lurking behind their bright covering.

Unveiling the Scale of the Issue

In collaboration with local communities and beach stewards, Keep Britain Tidy’s initiative uncovered a staggering truth. Neil Hembrow, a voice from the front lines of conservation, voiced his concern over the immense waste left in the wake of summer fun: “A shipping containers’ worth of cheap boards was sent 11,000 miles across the globe only to end up as waste for the South West to deal with”.

The environmental toll of these beach products is vast. The journey of a typical polystyrene bodyboard starts in factories in the Far East, travels thousands of miles, and often ends prematurely in landfills or incinerators. Worse yet, when these boards snap, they release thousands of tiny polystyrene beads into marine habitats, posing a direct threat to marine life and us. You will have seen that one of our summer campaigns is to rid Bude of cheap polystyrene bodyboards, and this amnesty forms part of that campaign. You can read more about it here.

We’re partnering with several Bude community groups and businesses, to act as drop-off points for broken bodyboards. Our bodyboard amnesty is aimed at saving these unusable items from landfill whilst highlighting the harmful impacts of polystyrene beach products.

Drop-off Points

Crooklets Beach: The 2 Minute Foundation’s Crab Shack

Summerleaze Beach: Visit Bude Beach Office

Northcott Mouth: Sip+Sea

Community Engagement and Impact

At the end of the summer season, we will host a community event here in Bude to strip down all of the donated boards for recycling. This operation of stripping down and separating the different waste components will highlight the real cost of buying cheap polystyrene bodyboards and the environmental impact they cause.

Keep Britain Tidy’s #WaveOfWaste campaign has also introduced a pioneering £1 hire scheme. This initiative partners with resorts across the South West, offering high-quality, durable bodyboards for rental. The goal? To curb the demand for disposable boards and foster a culture of sustainable recreation.

Beyond mere convenience, these hire schemes serve a broader purpose. Deb Rosser, representing the Friends of Bude Sea Pool, highlighted the multifaceted benefits of their ‘BorrowBoard’ scheme: “It’s a win-win-win scheme that reduces the amount of polystyrene beads, raises funds for our sea pool, and ensures the safety of bodyboarders.”

The response from early adopters has been resounding. Wooda Farm Holiday Park reported overwhelming demand since joining the initiative. Charlotte Veale, owner of Wooda Farm, shared her delight: “It has been an unbelievable success; from the moment it was promoted on our social media platforms, the demand has been amazing!”

As the campaign gains momentum, Keep Britain Tidy invites more resorts, holiday parks, and accommodation providers to join the movement. If you’re a Bude business and interested in operating a £1 hire scheme please get in touch with us at sustainable@visitbude.info

How You Can Help

Individuals keen to support this cause can contribute directly by signing our PETITION: Remove cheap polystyrene bodyboards from sale in Bude HERE. Supporters can also contact their local beach shops and/or supermarkets and ask them to remove these harmful products from sale.

The bodyboard amnesty campaign is not merely a response to a seasonal issue but a transformative step towards sustainable coastal management. By embracing change we hope to pave the way for cleaner, safer, and more resilient beaches and coastline in Bude for generations to come.

For more updates and to follow the progress, subscribe to Visit Bude, visit our social media channels and stay connected with the #thebudeway