Sunderland Marine helps clean up North East coastline with new innitiative

Marine insurer Sunderland Marine is playing its part in helping to clean up the region’s coastline.

The 140-year-old insurer has donated funds to help launch a new project aimed at clearing up fishing line discarded along the shoreline in the North East. The maritime insurance specialist, part of global marine insurer North P&I, is working with Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) to position 12 recycling bins at location along the coast in the Sunderland area.

Anglers and the general public can deposit any discarded fishing line or fishing debris found on local beaches, which could pose a threat to wildlife if left. In 2021, the ANLRS started a similar project along the Sussex coast and it was quickly adopted by local beach cleans and sea swimming groups. In 12 months, over 1,000kg of commercial fishing debris and 200,000 metres of fishing line were recovered and recycled.

All the materials collected during the project will be recycled via ReFactory, a forward-thinking plastics recycling business, that deals with many of those plastics that are often assumed to be hard to recycle.

It is planned that the waste collected can be returned to the community in a useful format such as benches and recycling stations that will help protect the environment in Sunderland and the surrounding areas from which it originated.

Viv Shears, co-founder of the ANLRS, said: “Sunderland Marine has supported the ANLRS since its inception in 2018 and we were delighted when they approached us about this project, which focuses on an area close to its heart. It will be great to see how the project works in the Sunderland area and increase interest in the recycling of materials that often get sent to landfill or incineration.”

James Simison, underwriter at Sunderland Marine, added: “Sunderland Marine is proud to have worked with Viv and the ANLRS for many years now, supporting their efforts across the UK.It’s fantastic to get the opportunity to bring the recycling bins to Sunderland and hopefully other locations in the North East as the project develops.”

The inaugural recycling bins have been adopted by Sunderland City Council and will be maintained and emptied by the City Council Environmental Services North team. They will be sited at prominent points at the Sunderland Yacht Club entrance, Roker Pier entrance and on the Seaburn Camp sign in the Little Italy area of the city.

Councillor Claire Rowntree, deputy leader of Sunderland City Council and cabinet member for Clean Green City, said: “Angling and sea fishing are popular activities across the city’s coast and waterways, and whilst the majority of Sunderland’s fishing community does dispose of fishing related waste responsibility, considerable fishing line does still find its way into open water or is washed up on our beaches.

“Sunderland City Council is proud to support initiatives that promote the responsible use of the city’s recreational destinations and tourist attractions, so it’s our hope that these new bins and the accompanying posters will serve as a valuable reminder to encourage people to dispose of their unwanted fishing line responsibly.”

The initiative has been warmly welcomed by the North East branch of global animal welfare charity Animals Asia. The charity runs campaigns on a number of marine wildlife issues, and holds community ‘Big Bear’ cleans.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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