HAVE YOU GOT 2 MINUTES? You can take quick action here.
Every school—whether in a city, town, or by the coast—interacts with plastic, from litter to packed lunches, vending machines, and more. Even if litter isn’t an issue, taking steps to reduce plastic use helps cut landfill and recycling waste.
At The 2 Minute Foundation, we believe small actions add up. Schools that make changes become beacons of good practice, inspiring others. And it all starts with just 2 minutes.
Organise a 2 Minute Litter Pick: Inspire students about litter and why cleanup matters.
Identify plastics: Have students find plastics in the school and explore alternatives.
Recycle: Set up recycling points for items like crisp packets, pens, and CDs.
Reduce waste: Help ease local budgets and the recycling system by cutting school waste.
More ways to get involved:
Recognise plastic-conscious students with awards
Host plastic-free days
Evaluate plastic use in the canteen
Recycle everything possible, and avoid laminating!
Do a 2 Minute Litter pick
Around your school grounds – you’ll be amazed at how much you find
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Support us for free
By using easyfundraising or Giveasyoulive when you shop online for school supplies
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Set up recycle points
For items like crisp packets, pens and CD’s so students can get involved in taking action for ocean health
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Invite us to your school
So the students can be inspired to take action in their own lives
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Educate yourselves
By taking advantage of the free resources and videos we’ve created for the different Key Stages
A little throwback from the archives… 👀🏄
With Joe Lycett recently leaving the Celebrity Traitors castle (anyone else devastated at this?!) , we thought it was a good time to dig out these photos from 2021!
We had a brilliant time supporting Joe for his Channel 4 documentary, as part of his campaign to ban cheap polystyrene bodyboards.
And while we`d love to say the problem has gone away, we`re still collecting hundreds of broken bodyboards from Bude`s beaches every year. They`re a familiar sight on our coastline, and a reminder that we still have work to do to tackle plastic pollution at source.
It was great to be part of a campaign shining a light on the issue. Five years on, we`re still picking up, speaking up and doing our bit for ocean health. 🌊
Now, back to the castle… 👀
#2MinuteBeachClean #PlasticPollution #Bude #throwback
Nothing surprises us anymore, a microwave thrown into a hedgerow that is home to our wildlife - returning tomorrow to collect and recycle properly.
#litter #ourplanet #trash #wildlife #flytipping
We were out with our Youth Volunteers on Wednesday afternoon restocking our clean up stations around the town. Looking down over the cliffs we saw what we thought was a dead seal pup. This time of year young pups do end up washed up and we wanted to check it out and ensure it was reported to the right place.
When we got close a member of the public approached us and explained how they’d found a huge tangle of rope and netting and dragged it up to the top of the beach to ensure it was out of the sea, (what a hero - thank you @racheldarker.sparks ).
Armed with some enthusiastic young people, we took on the task of dragging the rope of the beach. Over sand and rocks and back over to our Crab Shack it took a real group effort. Of course there is no sure way to find out how this young seal pup died, however, removing this large amount of plastic from the sea, means that there’s one less thing out there, that can cause serious impacts on our coastal wildlife.
#2minutebeachclean #beachclean #oceanplastic #protectwildlife
Seven years of saving bodyboards 🏄♀️
For the past 7 years, working with @oceanrecoveryproject and @keepbritaintidy we have managed to save 100-400 bodyboards every year from ending up in landfill, they are instead stripped and recycled.
So when you’re next at the beach, consider hiring your bodyboard, or investing in a good quality bodyboard that is durable and made to last.
#bodyboard #bodyboarding #sustainableswap #fortheplanet #cornwall
We’re a charity, and we need your support!
Everything we do, from getting young people outside, to putting litter-picking stations out into communities, is made possible because people choose to support our work.
We’re a small charity, and donations really do make a difference. But we know that not everyone is in a position to donate and that’s absolutely okay. There’s another really easy way you can support us without spending anything extra. 👇
🛍️ Sign up to Easyfundraising and shop online as you normally would. When you buy from participating retailers, they make a small donation to The 2 Minute Foundation.
It costs you nothing! You don’t pay more. You just shop as usual and a little bit comes back to us to help fund more environmental action.
So if you’re doing a bit of online shopping anyway, we’d love you to choose us! Every little bit helps us keep doing what we do.
Find us on Easyfundraising and sign up today.
Thank you.💙
#2minutebeachclean #easyfundraising #smallcharity #2minutelitterpick #supportsmall
We started The Coffee Cup Challenge because quite simply there is a simple solution to disposable cups and that is by choosing to reuse.
Join us this month, take your reusable cup out with you and save plastic lined disposable cups from ending up in landfill - let’s continue to normalise reusing your reusables!
#coffeecup #reusablecup #coffeecupchallenge #choosetoreuse
This isn’t normal.
#humanity #litter #flytipping #saveourplanet🌍 #consumerism
Have you seen one of these yet? A litter-picking station designed especially for schools!
We wanted to make it really easy for young people to get involved so we’ve taken everything we know about our 2 Minute Clean-up Stations and made a version just for them.
♻️ Made with recycled and sustainable materials
🗑️ Packed with more equipment to make them class-sized
🌱 Designed to encourage practical environmental action
📚 Perfect for schools of all types and sizes
It’s a simple way to make litter picking part of everyday school life, whether that’s a quick 2-minute pick around the playground or a full class litter pick in the local area.
And, of course, every sCool Station helps support the wider work of The 2 Minute Foundation.
Want one for your school?
Head to our website - 2minute.org to find out more and order your sCool Station.
#2minutebeachclean #2minutelitterpick #litterpicking #cleanupstation #beachclean
The Great Nurdle Hunt ✨
This month, all of our Bude Pod groups have been getting involved in the Great Nurdle Hunt, heading out to see what tiny pieces of plastic we could find hiding along our coastline.
And there were A LOT. 😳 Our record so far? 568 nurdles found in a single 20 minute beach clean!
Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets used to make plastic products. They’re small, easy to miss and can make their way into our rivers and oceans so finding and recording them is an important part of understanding the problem.
All the groups have been getting stuck in, learning more about where nurdles come from, why they matter and what we can do about plastic pollution.
A massive well done to everyone who got involved!
And a big thank you to The Great Nurdle Hunt for making it so easy for communities to take part and contribute to the bigger picture.
568 in one session… can you beat us? 👀
#2minutebeachclean #nurdle #plasticpollution #microplastic #microplastics
Take part in The Coffee Cup Challenge this October 🍵
Did you know, 2.5 billion single-use cups are used in the UK annually, with only 1 in 400 of those being recycled?
Although single-use coffee cups are made from paper, they are often lined with polythene plastic, making them incredibly difficult to actually recycle.
With such a small amount truly being able to be recycled, we must act and reduce the amount ending up in landfill every year.
There is a simple solution. Single-use? No use! Join us in The Coffee Cup Challenge, make your pledge to use your reusable cup or bottle for the month of October!
Head to - 2minute.org/campaign/2-minute-coffee-cup to make your pledge 💙
#coffeecupchallenge #choosetoreuse #reusablecup #coffeecup #ecochallenge
New Clean-Up Station in Praa Sands @the.welloe 🌊
Thanks to @tnlcommunityfund, we have been able to provide 22 Clean-Up Stations to communities in England, and we’re so thrilled that The Welloe have provided a home for this one!
Praa Sands has an incredible community, it’s actually not often you visit the beach and don’t see someone doing a beach clean. The goal for this Station is to provide the tools for both locals and visitors to be able to do a beach clean whenever they would like to.
A big thank you to The Welloe team for having a Station, for promoting and encouraging everyone to look after the beach - definitely the perfect place to visit after your beach clean, they do incredible food and the perfect hot chocolate!
#2minutebeachclean #praasands #cornwall #cornwallbeach #loveyourbeach
There is so much incredible work happening out there, you just don’t always see it ✨
@thinktomorrow10 are a youth led environmental organisation based in Buea, Cameroon 🇨🇲
Their core motto is ‘Sustain. Restore. Thrive’, with a key focus on bringing young people together to tackle critical local environmental challenges and build community resilience against climate change.
Their focus areas:
- Climate change & reforestation
- Environmental education in schools
- Waste management support
An incredible organisation doing incredible work - give them a follow, support their work and feel inspired because Think Tomorrow are having a big impact, which is important to see amongst all the less positive news out there!
#environmentalgroup #litterpick #happynews #positivenews #cameroon
