Island City Boards

When I’ve done a market, I’ve had this bodyboard on display and it always provokes a reaction.

The board was bought from Trago Mills in Falmouth, Cornwall and cost £13.99. It is made from EPS – Extruded/Expanded Polystyrene. Basically, several thousand tiny polystyrene beads, bonded together and wrapped with a Nylon cover. I am struggling to not swear in describing how disgustingly awful it is.

So let’s come at it from a different angle. This type of bodyboard is sold around the world, at seaside locations, as a wave-catching toy for children and adults. Occasionally, they are cheap. More often than not, they’re overpriced at Beachside shops. They have been made in China, at a cost of pennies, and shipped. My guess would be that the time it takes to sail from China to a UK port is much, much longer than the board will last in the customer’s hands. The most likely thing would be that it will snap on its one and only use in the sea. There is no strength in these boards. When it breaks, the polystyrene beads will spill. Remember there are thousands of the little bas…. (oh yes, I’m trying to not swear) things. Not only does that mean you’ve wasted money on something that’s lasted no time at all, you have just created your very own environmental disaster. I probably don’t need to dwell on it, but the polystyrene will become Sea Litter, which will be consumed by aquatic wildlife, which could end up in the human food chain. If you think that’s being over-dramatic, well… maybe, but it is avoidable.

I promise you that the second photo was not set up. The bin was in Tangier Road, Portsmouth, three miles away from the sea.

The next problem with these boards is that they are either left behind or dumped on the beaches. The figure in the top photo of 16000 becoming litter each year is from Keep Britain Tidy and isn’t an exaggerated estimate. In 2020, Newquay Lifeguards were picking up 20 a day, during the summer holidays, from just one beach. And one thing to remember is that, although these boards are sold as a Surf toy, they are available all around the country, not just surf beaches. Being left on the beach means they’re going to be washed out to the sea. If they do get picked up, they are likely to be heading to landfill, which will take centuries to break down. But, as I’ve already said, this is avoidable. The Ocean Recovery Project has organised the collection of broken and used polystyrene bodyboards from seaside towns. These rescued boards are then taken apart for recycling. If you visit their website or Instagram page you’ll see how many boards they’ve stopped from going into the sea or landfill.

Going back to my market, when people see my ‘Don’t Buy This’ sign, they all agree that polystyrene boards are terrible. Not one person has defended the horrible little beads. Away from the sea, businesses are moving from polystyrene packaging, and are using alternatives. There are alternatives to polystyrene bodyboards, there’s High Density Extruded Polystyrene, Polyethylene, Polypropylene and others. In simple terms, when you see them, they’re more like a solid foam instead of the bobbly polystyrene. Obviously, they’re still mass produced in China, but are stronger and less damaging if they break. They are more expensive, but sometimes by just a few Pounds. And the extra Pounds spent means a longer lasting bodyboard, so in real value terms, they work out as better.

Even though these alternatives are available, polystyrene bodyboards are still being produced and sold. How can we stop it?

Ban The Boards

This has happened in some small resorts along the North Devon coast. Their local council has banned the sale of cheap polystyrene bodyboards. And a Cornwall newspaper has began a campaign to do the same. I would imagine it’s a lengthy process, you would need to lobby your local councillors and MPs and get the local media involved. But why not? That’s what your politicians are there for. If enough people hassle them, they have to do something about it.

Shame The Sellers

One of the frustrating things about these nasty boards is that they are sold by national chains, including those who claim to be environmental champions. Big businesses love publicity, but aren’t so keen when it’s negative. If you see polystyrene bodyboards for sale in one of their shops, take a photo and share it on their Socials – ask them why they are choosing to sell something that is so damaging to the environment. The shops I can remember seeing them in are B&M, Home Bargains, Poundstretcher, Flying Tiger and obviously Trago Mills. If you’re sharing on Instagram, use the tag #WaveOfWaste.

Just Don’t Buy The Bl**dy Things

Banning and Shaming could work, but will take a while. However, if nobody wasted their money on these polystyrene bodyboards, they would disappear from the shelves. Think about it… If everyone stops buying them, the shopkeepers will stop stocking them. If the shopkeepers stop stocking them, the wholesalers won’t order them. If the wholesalers stop ordering them, the importers won’t import them. If enough importers stop importing them, the producers will stop making them.

That might sound like a pipedream, but there are many ‘bad’ products that have become extinct. Let’s see if we can do the same to polystyrene bodyboards.