Litter Free Dorset are excited to share that we have partnered with Weymouth Town Council and Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project to expand our popular beach toy library, with two additional locations on the busy Weymouth Seafront just in time for the start of summer holidays. The toy library allows visitors to borrow and reuse toys for free, meaning visitors save money, help reduce waste and stop plastic entering our oceans.
The new toy libraries will be located at the slipway next the West Hills Donkeys and the slipway in front of Rossi’s Ices, in addition to the existing toy library located on the slipway next to the Beach Office – just look out for the Litter Free Dorset flags!
Emma Teasdale, Project Officer at Litter Free Dorset said: “We are delighted to be expanding our toy library scheme to continue to help reduce plastic waste and pollution in Weymouth! The project will also mean families can save money as they won’t need to buy lots of new kit when visiting the beach, just borrow from our toy library then drop them back for the next visitors to enjoy. It’s a win for both people and planet.”
Most beach toys are made of plastic and it is estimated that over 80% end up in landfill, incineration or in our oceans. Weymouth & Portland Marine Litter Project currently picks up around 100kg of plastic waste every month – just from the coast around Weymouth and Chesil Beach! To help reduce this, visitors can drop beach toys that have been left behind or that are broken into the toy libraries so they can be reused or recycled.
Dave Taylor, co-founder of Weymouth & Portland Marine Litter Project said: “We work with a specialist company using an innovative process to repurpose the hard-to-recycle plastics we collect, which are made into plastic board used to make furniture and other items. Please place any broken toys you find into the toy library, so they can be recycled, giving them a new lease of life, and preventing more waste”.
Plastic toys left on the beach are likely to end up in the sea, causing considerable harm to our marine environment. Over time, plastics break down into smaller and smaller pieces which can be ingested by marine life and damaging ecosystems for years to come.
Cllr David Harris, spokesperson on Weymouth Town Council’s climate and ecological emergency work, said: “The expansion of the beach toy libraries is fantastic. This is a simple and cost-effective way for families to enjoy popular beach activities such as building sandcastles, while saving some pennies on buying a bucket and spade. By promoting reuse of the toys, this also helps to reduce single use plastic waste in our beautiful coastal town. Since declaring a climate and ecological emergency, this initiative is something Weymouth Town Council is proud to be supporting once again this year.”
Help prevent the spread of plastic pollution and save some pennies this summer – use the Weymouth Beach Toy Libraries!
For more information about Litter Free Dorset and to stay up to date with their current projects and campaigns, check out the Litter Free Dorset website and social media channels:
- Facebook: @LitterFreeDorset
- Instagram: @litterfreedorset
- Twitter: @LitterFreeDrst
The photos below show the new toy boxes in position
