Zeeland beaches appear to be the most polluted in the Netherlands

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Broadcasting Zeeland

NOS News•today, 1:17 PM

The coast near Zeeland is the most polluted in the Netherlands, according to research by the North Sea Foundation, in which volunteers participated this month. Nationally, 309 pieces of waste were found per 100 meters of beach, the Zeeland coast scored well above this with 416 pieces of waste per 100 meters.

During the first two weeks of March, around 300 volunteers explored the Dutch coastline. This was done using a method based on international scientific research into the measurement of litter, says spokesperson Jorn Matena of the North Sea Foundation.

“The research was done using the Ospar method,” says Matena. “Compiled by Utrecht University and used internationally.” This is useful, because studies using the same scientific method are easy to compare.

The volunteers first received online training in which they learned how to work. “During the research, they were also helped by a user-friendly app on their phone,” says Matena.

All waste encountered by the ‘citizen scientists’ was categorized and counted. “This way we know which numbers are where,” Matena explains. Data analysts from the De Noordzee Foundation then started working on the data.

The volunteers mainly encountered plastic, pieces of wood and fish fluff (material to protect fishing nets). ‘Nurdles’ have also been found on the vast majority of Zeeland beaches. These plastic granules are the basis for the production of almost all plastic products.

Mariëlle Nelissen, Petra Beeckz and Evelien Jansen participated in the beach waste research. They started in Vlissingen and mainly found glass, butts, candy wrappers and many nurdles.

The North Sea Foundation has been researching litter for twenty years. It has already paid off, says Mariëlle, who has helped out before. “A few years ago I found a lot of balloon remains. Some municipalities then banned the release of balloons. Now I hardly see any balloons on the beach anymore.”

In total, people went to the beach in 91 places in the country with picks and waste bags to collect rubbish. They found 14,000 pieces of trash.

There will be a second measurement of beach waste in October, says Matena. “We want to carry it out at different times to make connections between waste and beach visits.”