A new initiative provides free hire of a bellyboard in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. This is to discourage the use and abuse of plastic boards.
Surf Wood for Good seeks to eliminate the waste created by polystyrene board, which are often imported and single-use. Instead, it lends British-made wooden boards for beachgoers.
The environmentally friendly alternatives can be borrowed from stockists at 24 coastal sites, including Bournemouth Cornwall, Grimsby, and Cornwall, until October.
According to Keep Britain Tidy environmental charity, it is estimated that more then 16,000 polystyrene board bodies are left on UK beaches each annual.
The boards of low quality can last only a few hours before they are discarded on the seafront. This can release thousands in tiny polystyrene ball into the coastal ecosystem.
Surf Wood for Good founder Jamie Johnstone was inspired to take action after seeing the number of broken polystyrene boards left at his beach in Newquay every day last summer.
Johnstone stated that the scheme aims to encourage people to reflect on what they are riding in waves and promote a positive shift away from disposable plastics in general.
I love the idea of each board being given out as a cheap alternative to landfill.
Surfers Against Sewage, an environmental charity, added that plastic pollution is a major problem with 8 million pieces of plastic entering our oceans every day. Surf Wood For Good is not only better for the planet, but it also provides endless water fun, where you can take the board out of the water again and again.
North Devon banned single-use bodyboards last year in an effort to reduce waste.
The following list contains a list all participating sites A dedicated website.