Marks and Sparks have launched a new Frisbee with a green spin - the Beach Clean Frisbee is made with 100 per cent recycled plastic, some of which was waste scooped from the very same beaches the disc will be lost on this summer.

 

Last April, M&S customers and employees helped clear 300km of coastline, with litter from six beaches segregated, cleaned and reprocessed before being transformed into Frisbee form by Leicester-based company Make a Material Difference. It all forms part of M&S's Plan A sustainability strategy, which also pioneered ‘shwopping': a scheme encouraging shoppers to drop off old clothes for recycling when buying new ones.

 

The Frisbee is on sale for £2.50 at six ‘coastal' M&S stores - Belfast (Abbey Centre), Bexhill, Lytham St Annes, Silverlink Retail Park, Weston Super Mare and Edinburgh Kinnaird - with 50p from each sale going to the Marine Conservation Society.

 

"We've managed to transform waste, taking it off beaches where it threatens marine life, into a brand new product that is fun for our customers and raises money for MCS' ongoing work to protect our seas," said Mike Barry, director of Plan A. "That's Plan A in action, a volunteer event that engages customers, saves precious raw materials and gives back to charity - all with a business case behind it."

 

This year's M&S Big Beach Clean-up will aim to clear 140 UK beaches and canals from 24th to 30th April and aims to beat last year's 30 tonne haul - an aspiration that can only be thwarted by some clever clogs demanding a mass game of Frisbee.