Meet the Scrimpers- Michelle

Since researching ways to help the environment for my last post (Saving the environment and the bank) I've come across a lot of inspirational people who go above and beyond to help the environment.

Today I'm interviewing Michelle from smartie_lids_on_the_beach because she has an interesting way of saving money. Instead of going out of her way to save money, she saves the coastline and as a result makes money. I found her story unique and thought a Q&A would make an interesting read!

Hi Michelle and thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me today.

Your story is very unique. A lot of people recycle and are wary of their carbon footprint but you actually go the beach daily and pick up loads of rubbish voluntarily! Did anything in particular trigger your hobby?

Yes as matter of fact. After the 2014 storms where Cornwall was bashed to bits, the beaches really suffered.

I had always cleaned beaches but noticed so much more plastic rubbish than normal so I did some research to learn more about the damage. I read about the Pacific Gyre (some facts here) and how animals are impacted.

For example, did you know that Laysan albatross's often feed their babies plastic that they catch instead of fish resulting in their babies eventually dying?

For me this was a real turning point.

That's horrible! What do you with all the rubbish though? Surely it must go back into the sea if not a landfill?

Actually, I create quirky art from the bits of plastic I collect from beautiful Cornish beaches. All my plastic is sorted into colours and stored in boxes for future use.

Here are some pictures of Michelle's great and unique work:

(If you'd like to see more of her artwork, just visit her Instagram account or her Etsy store)

It must be so rewarding for you to see the beach all clean once you're finished, have you yourself gained anything from this amazing hobby? Or has it enabled you to do something you couldn't before?

Well from the little extra income I earn, I am able to see my daughter enjoy her horse riding hobby which of course is also rewarding!

In terms of achievements, next weekend, in fact, at the surfer's festival, Boardmasters, I have been asked by Surfer's Against Sewage to speak about my beach-cleaning hobby, of course I'm very honoured!

I have also been asked to show my creations as part of an exhibition to raise awareness of marine debris.

Oh wow, good luck with that! As you must be keen on raising awareness, can you tell us a bit more about what you find on the beach? What do you find the most for example?

From my Instagram you can see that I find all kinds of things every day, but unfortunately, what I often find, is things that have been flushed down the toilet; cotton buds, Tampax applicators... things like that.

I also find loads of balloon and their ribbons from balloon releases from all over the country that land as ugly litter.

I educate my children at school about the effects these have on the environment. Then, naturally of course, I find things like fishing waste, rope etc.

I know that straws and food packaging are often culprits of litter, so do you have any advice on how to reduce our waste and make your life and the life of others easier?

Like you said, reducing your use of single use plastics would already be a big help! Refusing straws and disposable cups where possible. It would help to carry a canteen with you to refill instead of buying bottles of water, or using a bamboo toothbrush...they are so cool. Items with no packaging I recommend too; like Lush shampoo bars.

Wow thank you, I will definitely look into them!

Thank you so much for joining me today, keep up the good work :)