Involving Stakeholders

After you have sorted and displayed the beach litter, stakeholders can join you to help identify items and the processes that lead to them entering the seas. This provides an opportunity to discuss potential interventions in the production-use-disposal cycle of items that could prevent the dumping of litter.

Litter can originate from many different sources and end up at sea through many different pathways, so a wide range of stakeholders could be helpful. If you’re interested in inviting stakeholders, identify the main industries and activities in your region that contribute to litter. This can be done by reviewing information about previous beach clean-ups in your area and talking to beach cleaners, environmental managers, and other knowledge holders. Invitees to a stakeholder session might include representatives from industries such as fishing, aquaculture, and mining. You might also invite researchers with expertise in marine litter and policymakers who deal with waste management and coastal ecosystems.

By involving stakeholders, you not only gather more information but also increase awareness of the problem and encourage others to take ownership and collaborate on solutions.