Sussex's picturesque coastline has been transformed into a dumping ground for international shipping waste after a spate of container spills, with local volunteers now facing a monumental clean-up operation.
Beaches Littered with Unlikely Cargo
In a bizarre sight, Brighton Beach was recently carpeted with hundreds of thousands of onions, alongside single-use gloves, dust masks and cans of dried milk. Coral Evans, founding director of the Leave No Trace Brighton community group, made the strange discovery during a walk last Tuesday.
"It was odd to see in winter," Evans remarked, noting that the scale of pollution was particularly shocking outside the busy summer season. She returned the following day to find the onion invasion had intensified dramatically.
The unusual flotsam is linked to shipping containers lost from vessels traversing the English Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Brighton and Hove City Council reported collecting 1.9 tonnes of waste from local beaches in a single day last week – nearly four times the normal amount for this time of year.
Multiple Spills Hit West Sussex
Further west, the situation is equally severe. Donna Trethewey, founder of the Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas, reported that 24 shipping containers have washed ashore in West Sussex in just three separate incidents over the past six weeks.
The first major incident occurred on 6 December 2023, when 16 containers fell from the refrigerated cargo ship Baltic Klipper in the Solent. "Whole containers washed up and literally broke up before your eyes," Trethewey described. The debris included bananas, avocados, and vast quantities of polystyrene insulation foam that now litters the shoreline.
West Sussex County Council confirmed awareness of debris at Elmer in Bognor Regis and between West Wittering and Shoreham-by-Sea, though recovery has been hampered by poor weather and sea conditions following Storm Goretti.
A Systemic Problem with New Solutions
This is not a new phenomenon for the south coast. Dr Simon Boxall, an oceanography academic at the University of Southampton, noted that an estimated 2,200 containers are lost at sea globally each year. The proximity of Southampton, Britain's second-largest container port, makes Sussex particularly vulnerable.
"Regarding the south coast, it’s not surprising we are seeing them as they have always been washing up. I can think of many cases over the years," Dr Boxall stated, referencing the infamous 2007 MSC Napoli incident where motorcycles were scavenged from Branscombe Beach.
However, a significant regulatory change took effect on 1 January 2024. The International Maritime Organization, alongside the World Shipping Institute, has introduced a law making it a criminal offence for shipping companies not to report lost containers. "The issue is not being treated as a witch-hunt, but rather a way of logging what happens," Dr Boxall explained.
The World Shipping Council reported that 576 shipping containers were lost at sea in 2024 alone, out of over 250 million transported.
Community Spirit Amidst the Mess
Despite the environmental blight, the crisis has sparked remarkable community action. In Brighton, up to 400 volunteers mobilised to clear their 7½-mile beach, which was reportedly clean within three days.
Evans praised the community response but called for greater accountability: "It’s only a few containers to them but it displaces whole communities. Surfers and swimmers have been advised not to enter the water, and there’s no sign of the containers’ owners getting involved to clear the mess."
The Environment Agency is monitoring potential impacts on wildlife and water quality. Public warnings have been issued urging people not to touch or remove washed-up items and to keep children and animals away from the debris.
As clean-up efforts continue, the incident underscores the fragile relationship between global trade routes and local environments. For now, Sussex residents are left dealing with the consequences – and the onions – of international commerce gone adrift.
