Every year some seven million people visit the golden sands of Bournemouth, an 11-mile beach stretching from Bournemouth in the middle to Sandbanks in the west and Christchurch to the east. Collectively, these visitors leave 2,000 tonnes of rubbish behind, which is removed and processed by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council at a cost of £1m. 

Most of this rubbish is deposited in beachside waste bins, but sadly not all. The council has a dedicated site at Durley Chine beach to deal with up to 500 tonnes of litter left on the sands, which consumes half of the £1m budget. This facility has a dedicated team of staff to operate a fleet of tractors armed with special scoops to sift the rubbish out of the sand and pack it into containers ready for shipping out.