10 bizarre items we found during an Edinburgh beach clean

During a clean up of Fisherrow Beach in Musselbrugh we uncovered all manner of - often revolting - objects. Here are ten of the most notable finds.

Musselburgh beach clean

A smurf doll

A cuddly smurf toy was found by Edinburgh resident Lynn-Marie Thom, who admitted that the extent of the rubbish washed up on the beach was “depressing”.

She vowed to provide the blue-skinned character a new home.

A syringe

A remnant of a syringe was found and safely disposed of during the clean-up operation.

Baby wipes (lots of them)

The most common find on the beach was baby wipes. Member of Fisherrow Waterfront Group Gaynor Allen claims that since beach cleans began in the area in 2011, the wipes have been the most common find on the shoreline. These contain plastic and are potentially harmful to local marine life.

Christmas decorations

On one section of the beach a Christmas star - which only a couple of months ago would have been proudly placed at the top of a tree- was found. A further 50 metres up the beach a Christmas tree was found.

A suitcase

An abandoned suitcase was uncovered during the clean up operation, which took place on Saturday, February 17. Around fifty volunteers turned up and took part in the clean up.

Three car tires

Three tires were found by volunteers on Fisherrow Beach - one short of the full set.

Remnant of a plastic toy

The plastic remnant of a toy stood out due to it’s bright colours. Smaller objects such as cotton buds and plastic straws were often hiding in plain sight.

Irn-Bru can

An Irn-Bru can was found by one volunteer during the clean up - this was one of the less surprising finds

Plastic cotton buds

Countless cotton buds were found along the sandy stretch. Volunteer Lynne-Marie Thom painstakingly picked up over 100 of the blue sticks during the community effort. According to Allen, the tiny plastic sticks are carelessly flushed down the toilet by Edinburgh and East Lothian residents, before washing up on the areas shores.

Plastic cutlery

Single-use plastic cutlery was also a common sight on Fisherrow. It will be nearly 500 years before the plastic collected on Fisherrow beach fully degrades.