A wheelie bin that washed up on a beach in Dorset appears to have travelled 5,000 miles across the Atlantic from the United States. Beachcomber Ryan Stalker discovered the black bin at Bowleaze Cove near Weymouth after Storm Ingrid.
The bin, marked with 'Baldwin County, Alabama', had several goose barnacles attached, indicating it had spent time in warm tropical seas. Ryan posted about his find on social media, and residents of Alabama identified it using a unique code, confirming it came from Fort Morgan.
They believe the bin was swept into the sea during Hurricane Sally in September 2020, entering the Gulf of Mexico before eventually crossing the Atlantic. Remarkably, Ryan received an apology from the local refuse department in Alabama for the litter.
Ryan, 46, said: 'After Storm Ingrid I thought there would be a good chance of finding some flotsam. I saw the wheelie bin straight away but it was bigger than the ones we have here. I saw it had some barnacles attached so I knew it must have been in the water for some time.'
The bin is now in Ryan's back garden while he decides what to do with it.
