Resource Media’s former web developer, ‘sustainable surfer’ Michal Czernik, is embarking on a project to clean at least 30 of Scotland’s beaches. He hopes to make a documentary of his ‘Surf Help’ project, through which he will attempt to recycle as much marine litter as possible.

Over eight weeks this summer, Czernik and his van ‘Bethy’ (which has been modified to accommodate containers for different recycling streams) will tour Scotland’s northern and western beaches to collect rubbish, document the scourge of pollution and engage in a bit of surfing as well.

While it is largely a solo project, Czernik will be joined by friends at various stages, and is in conversation with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) about organising beach cleaning parties. He’s also in touch with Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), and will be in contact with relevant local councils to let them know of his plans and to see how they can help with waste collection and recycling, and recruiting volunteers to join him.

Giving beaches ‘the attention and TLC that they deserve’

Explaining the project on his Crowdfunder page, Czernik writes: ‘Bethy (the surf van) and I (Michal) are going to drive along the Scottish coast, stopping at as many beaches as we can, to clean them and, weather permitting, surf them as well.

‘We are going to try to recycle most of the rubbish we collect using the local council’s disposal. But when there aren’t any local recycling facilities available, Bethy will vanfully lug the rubbish to the next one we can find.

‘I’m also going to use this journey to make a documentary on the fragile ecosystem of the northern Scottish coast, told through the eyes of a sustainable surfer and his van…

‘There’s just so much litter about that it almost feels like not enough people care about this beautiful landscape. I want to prove that there are.

‘Some of the bigger beaches, the ones closer to cities and the more popular ones, get a lot of attention. They have regular volunteering programmes to help keep them clean. But some of the smaller, more remote, arguably much more breathtaking beaches are left abandoned, and dirty.

‘I want to give them the attention and TLC that they deserve.’

Trip details

Czernik will be leaving his current job as a software developer in Edinburgh before he embarks on his journey. Starting at Lunan Bay in Aberdeen, he will head west along the north coast, travelling to the Orkneys and the Western Isles before finishing at the Isle of Mull. He plans to spend two days, including a couple hours surfing, at each beach.

As well as collecting litter, Czernik will conduct an in-depth survey at each beach to determine its current state and map the nature of pollution. He plans to share this data publicly and with the MCS and SAS, and will create an interactive data visualisation to illustrate the health of Scottish beaches. He also plans to maintain a blog and create a short documentary film telling the story of his experiences.

Sizeable problem

Keep Scotland Beautiful estimates 20,000 tonnes of litter are dumped in the North Sea each day, with 15 per cent of it washing up on Scotland’s coastline. Last year, the Marine Conservation Society’s annual survey found that there were around 1,963 pieces of litter per kilometre on Scottish beaches.

Learn more about the problem of marine litter and Michal Czernik’s Surf Help project.