Latest news with #BillDale
BBC News
20-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Litter at school campus branded 'utter shambles' by Beach Buddies
The volume of litter at a secondary school campus has been branded an "utter shambles" by a volunteer group after its members cleared up rubbish including 415 plastic 50 members of Beach Buddies took part in the clear-up around St Ninian's Lower School at Bemahague, in Onchan, collecting about 331lbs (150kg) of litter. Founder Bill Dale said it was "disappointing" to see the area in an "absolute mess" and the situation highlighted the continued need to educate children about the danger littering posed to the school and the education department have been contacted for response. Following the group's efforts on Sunday, Mr Dale said there was a "psychology" that once a place is clean, people would be less likely to "drop the next piece of litter", because it would stand he said if there were "already piles of rubbish around", there was a perception that discarding a "few more bits doesn't seem to matter". He said the items retrieved included plastic bottles, sweet, chocolate and crisp wrappers, tin cans and fast food packaging, which indicated the rubbish was likely dropped by said the charity regularly visits schools across the island to promote the "responsible disposal" of litter through its education programme, but had not visited St Ninian's Lower School "in a few years".Although the education programme had been "massively successful", particularly with primary schools, the situation at the Bemahague site had been reported to Beach Buddies by a member of Friends of the Earth Isle of Man, Mr Dale said. It was was "an utter shambles and heart-breaking" to find one school in "such a mess", he continued.A meeting with the school had been organised for next week to find a way to "make sure this does not happen again".It was important to speak out now to prevent the island going "seriously backwards" in its mindset towards littering, he he said it did not mean the island was "not still regarded as a fantastic example to the rest of the world as to how a community can get together and make a difference", he added. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
15-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Isle of Man beach cleans to protect birds ahead of nesting season
People on the Isle of Man have been encouraged to join organised beach cleans ahead of nesting season to help to protect chicks from plastic Buddies founder Bill Dale said volunteers would concentrate their efforts on beaches "where thousands of seabirds lay their eggs each year".He said evidence suggested rubbish left on the beach could be "mistaken by birds for food, which can then be fed to their chicks".The sessions take place between 10:30 and 12:00 GMT at Langness on Sunday, with another at the same time at Smeale on 23 February. Mr Dale said volunteers would "do our best" to clear up the two "major areas" covering a stretch about 12 miles (19km) ahead of nesting season, which runs from March to August."It's a simple, clear message message - get rid of the rubbish before the bird nesting season starts to protect them," he 200 tonnes of waste is collected by Beach Buddies each year after being washed up along the island's has included fishing gear, such as ropes and netting, plastic bottles, tin cans, tents and sleeping bags. But Mr Dale said if residents could not join the organised Sunday sessions he would "really encourage people to pick up as much litter in these areas as they can over the next couple of weeks"."The more we take off the beaches, the better it is for birds," he up in 2006, the group holds regular beach cleaning sessions across the organisation has recently shared its upset at a rise in the fly-tipping of electrical goods on the Manx coast. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Charity upset over fly-tipping rise on Manx coast
A charity has shared its frustration after a purported rise in fly-tipping along the Isle of Man's northern coastline. Litter-picking group Beach Buddies said it is collecting a rising number of abandoned electrical goods, including televisions, computer screens and fridge-freezers. Many of the items have been found dumped on beaches between the Point of Ayre and Ballaugh, alongside those abandoned at the charity's collection points. Founder Bill Dale said disposing the appliances came at a cost to the organisation, and said he was at a loss as to "why anybody thinks this is OK". Mr Dale said the north-west coast, particularly the Point of Ayre, had become a "hotspot" for dumping large, unwanted items. The island's most northerly point sits on the edge of a nature reserve, home to a variety of wildlife, including many bird species. Mr Dale said to avoid the cost of disposing of electrical goods, people were instead dumping them in some of the island's most beautiful landscapes. He said: "People are thinking, I don't really want to pay £120 to get rid of this fridge-freezer, I'll just take it to the Point of Ayre in the dark one night and just chuck it out the back of a van and drive off." "It's 100% wrong.! Currently it costs £23 to dispose of a television, £14 for a computer screen, and £128 for a large fridge-freezer, at the Northern Civic Amenity Site. But Mr Dale said there was a "very simple" solution. He encouraged people to pay an upfront fee at the time of buying any new appliance, for its later "inevitable" disposal. "There is no reason to dump it anywhere other than the amenity site" if this is done, he said. Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@ Plea for responsible use of bins around island's coast Local authority warns fly-tipping risks fine Beach clean charity 'inspiring a generation' Lockdown fly-tipping 'will not be tolerated' Beach Buddies Northern Civic Amenity Site
