Marine garbage threatens the lives of marine life and causes them to lose their homes. According to a report by the KOEM (Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation), marine garbage increased from about 70,000 tons in 2015 to about 120,000 tons in 2021. Thus, volunteer activities to continuously monitor and collect marine garbage are actively taking place. Among them, there is a system in Korea that conducts regular beach clean-ups. It is called the “Adopt-A-Beach” system.

What is “Adopt-A-Beach”?

Seo Ho-jeong, an assistant manager of KOEM, has delivered detailed information about “Adopt-A-Beach”. This is a public- private partnership to promote awareness of marine garbage pollution in which companies, organizations and schools adopt a specific beach for two years and treat it as they would treat their own family. It was started in 1986 in Texas, the United States, and it gradually spread throughout the entire country and outside of it to the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. In July 2020, through a naming contest organized by the MOF (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries), the name “Adopt–A–Beach” was chosen for the beach adoption project here in Korea. The pilot project was initiated on Jeju Island. As of July 2023, there were 121 adopted beaches and 180 participating organizations. 

“This year, five marine environment NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) were selected across Korea to support adoption procedures and purification activities in five regions. NGOs help guide institutions participating in this system on how to sign up for insurance necessary for cleanup activities. In addition, they provide safety education for collecting garbage and help with the garbage separation process,” Seo said.

“Adopt-A-Beach” in Buan, Jeollabuk-do

The Jeollabuk-do Office of Education School Personnel Training Center is located in Byeonsan Beach, so they adopted it. Choi Eun-sun, an employee of the center, gave us information about the beach managed by the center. They manage the beach from Love Nakjo Park to Songpo Port, which is part of Byeonsan Beach. Environmental cleanup activities in Byeonsan Beach were first implemented in 2023, aiming to create an opportunity for shared growth through exchanges and cooperation with the local community. They care for a cleaner and more beautiful Byeonsan Beach by picking up marine garbage that has been washed up by the waves. Participants also promote awareness of marine environmental conservation among themselves.

Starting in April 2023, fifteen employees participated in collecting about 35 kg of garbage. It will next be held in September with about forty people from the employees of the center and from local residents. Choi stated, “We are participating in the ‘Adopt-A-Beach’ program to change employees’ perception of marine environment conservation and to establish an organizational culture that is interested in ecology.” Starting with marine cleanup activities this year, they announced plans to pick up trash around the beach more than three times a year and to conduct marine protection campaigns once a year, with the first one starting in 2024. In addition, they will provide a center to plan for the interests of the beach and to strategize about marine waste cleanup, centering on the users of the training center. Lastly, Choi said, “Starting with our efforts, we hope that more companies and organizations will participate in this   system.Even the smallest efforts will lead to the achievement of makingthe wide sea more beautiful and clean.”

Think about Recycling as Well as Garbage Collection
Jeon Hye-yoon from the School of Business at Konkuk University said, “I was able to engage in ‘Adopt-A-Beach’ activities through supporters of irecipe, a brand of Sunjin Beauty Science. This is an extracurricular activity that I carried out in the hope of getting experience for a marketing job.” She worked at Songlim Beach in Seocheon County, Chungcheongnam-do. More than three-quarters of the garbage collected during the cleanup was glass waste called sea glass. “After the activity, I found a workshop to make glass crafts out of sea glass where I also made a toothpaste squeezing machine out of marine plastic waste. Minimizing waste emissions and the inflow of waste into the ocean is of course important, but I feel it is more important than anything else to think about how to recycle marine waste,” she said. Jeon wants to participate in this activity again when she has a chance, but this program is carried out on a group or company basis, making it difficult for an individual to participate in it alone.

“Caresea”, Marine Saving Platform

“Caresea” is a platform that facilitates public participation in reducing marine garbage and supports the adoption of beaches. It serves as an open recruitment platform for marine waste reduction initiatives and provides support for the adoption of beaches.

“In particular, it is a platform where institutions which want to adopt a beach can apply for adoption. We continue to update the adoption status of beaches on our page and we are steadily promoting the system by posting the results of each institution's activities on our website,” Seo, the assistant manager of KOEM, stated. Furthermore, this platform provides answers to frequently asked questions related to beach adoption, safety education materials related to this system, and other educational resources on marine debris. Through “Caresea”, you can participate in the “Al-Joob Campaign” where participants go plogging on the beach to conserve the ocean. The campaign consists of two initiatives: a Safety e-Report where participants make a digital report to raise awareness about coastal abandoned waste and beach clean-up where volunteers directly pick up small trash on the coastline. The events are taking place from May to the third week of October during weekends, at beaches nationwide. Detailed schedules and locations are posted on the Caresea website. If you are interested, check out the website!

If you don’t belong to an organization or institution right now, it may be difficult to participate in the “Adopt-A-Beach” initiative. However, since you know about this system now, you can propose adoption to your organization in the future or promote it yourself. Let’s pay attention to the surrounding beach environments and participate in various purification activities, including the “Adopt-A-Beach” program.

 | Kim Doe-hye Reporter, Bang Jun-hui, Shin Mu-hyun Cub-Reporters