Commonwealth Litter Programme (CLiP)

2 boats on litter on a beach

Cefas will work with partners across the Commonwealth to share expertise and find solutions to the environmental and socio-economic problems caused by litter in the marine environment. Scientists will be collaborating with national governments, local authorities, regional sea conventions, NGOs, universities and industry to identify country specific solutions. Cefas will work alongside international organisations, such as the United Nations, to ensure actions are coordinated on national, regional and global levels, with activities that are already taking place to tackle marine litter.

CLiP will work with four countries across the Commonwealth to encompass a variety of geographic, economic and environmental differences and enable a wide breadth of issues to be addressed. The programme started in the South Pacific Region in November 2018, working with Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. In May 2019, work began in Belize. The programme will work in the South Pacific, Caribbean and Africa.

The programme will encompass the following five pillars:

  • Land based sources of litter

  • Sea based sources of litter

  • Removal of litter from the marine environment

  • Science and Education

  • Outreach.