The Beach Clean-up Crew

A story about caring for beaches, with safe gloves and grown-up helpers.

On Saturday morning, Willa and her friends gathered at the beach with big buckets and gloves. They were part of the Beach Clean-up Crew, and a ranger named Bec was in charge.

“Before we start,” said Bec, “I will show you the safe way to do it. Always wear gloves. Never touch anything sharp. If you find something strange, call me.” The children nodded, and put on their gloves.

They walked along the sand in a line, scanning the ground. Willa found a plastic bottle cap, a bit of fishing line, and a rusty can. She dropped each piece into her bucket. The bucket was soon half full.

A boy named Arlo held up a tiny blue piece of plastic. “What is this?” he said. “It is a microplastic,” said Bec. “Fish and seabirds can mistake it for food. It makes them sick.” Arlo gasped. “I will find more,” he said.

They kept going until the sun was high. At the end, they emptied the buckets onto a big tarp. Bec weighed it all. “Twelve kilograms of rubbish,” she said. “That is a lot of plastic that will not hurt any animals.”

They sorted it into piles. Bottles and cans went in the recycling bin. Fishing line went in a special tube. Bec told them that some of the things could be turned into new products. Willa found that very interesting.

As they walked back to the car park, a little tern swooped over the water, and landed on the sand ahead of them. It peered at the clean shore, and then pecked at a shell. Willa smiled. “It looks happy,” she said.

Bec gave each of them a badge that said, “Beach Guardian.” Willa pinned hers to her backpack. She planned to come back next month, and bring her little brother, too.

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