Campaign News Posted — 10 November 2026
All in on ending sewage pollution
Plastic Free Communities have been at the heart of SAS movement building for almost a decade, they form the UK’s biggest national network tackling single-use plastic pollution. SAS and its Communities have also tirelessly campaigned to end sewage pollution. With public pressure growing, the next few years are crucial to fix the broken water system.
That’s why our new 2026–2030 strategy has one clear mission: ending sewage pollution of the UK’s waters, and we’re not about to let this opportunity slip away.
We’re a small charity with a big ambition. And to win, we need to focus our firepower where it can make the biggest difference.
Over the next four years, we’ll be:
- Taking on the broken water industry. Fighting for a Clean Water Bill that puts public health ahead of profit, gives regulators real teeth and makes polluters pay.
- Winning stronger protection for our waters. Campaigning for more designated bathing waters and the clean-up plans that come with them.
- Following the evidence. Expanding our citizen science and using the data to hold water companies and politicians to account.
- Building one unstoppable movement. Bringing our community together, backing local campaigners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and bringing more young people into the fight.
This also means making some big choices.
We’ll be stepping back from our plastic pollution campaigning for this strategy period, so we can put our full weight behind ending sewage pollution. Plastic remains a serious threat to our waters, but we believe this is the moment to concentrate our efforts where we have the biggest opportunity to win.
This means a change to how we work with Plastic Free Communities. From 10th November 2026, the SAS Community and Businesses Champion Awards will end.
Over the years we have awarded thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities for their work to effectively tackle plastic pollution on a local scale. This network has not only had massive local impact, but also national clout that has seen things like single-use plastic bans come into force and key policies put in place to tackle plastic pollution at source.
Plastic pollution is not going anywhere. And neither is the Plastic Free Communities movement. We are working with all of our Communities so they can continue their epic work on the ground, connect to each other and to national campaigns on plastic pollution. Tackling single-use where they live and driving long-term sustainable solutions. You can still reach out to your local Plastic Free Community to support them and get involved.
Million Mile Clean remains one of our core actions on plastic pollution. You can keep signing up cleans, accessing free kit and insurance, and logging Citizen Science data as normal.
The data we collect on plastic will still be utilised and shared with partners and academics to further campaigns to combat plastic pollution. Additionally, over this strategy period, we’re evolving the Million Mile Clean so that it covers more pollution types and becomes a way of connecting communities to whatever is threatening the waters they love.
The next chapter of Plastic Free Communities is here! We continue forwards, building a strong and diverse SAS Movement together, to protect the places we love.
Get updated on the SAS Movement and our work👇
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Other ways to support
Million Mile Clean
Wherever you live, you can tackle plastic pollution by joining the Million Mile Clean with Surfers Against Sewage. Receive free equipment to clean your local beach, river, park, street or mountain.
Join Surfers Against Sewage
The more members we have, the louder our voice becomes and the more attention we can demand from government and industry.
Fundraise for us
When you sign up to a challenge event or host an event in aid of SAS, not only will YOU be saving our oceans, but you also get to have lots of fun while doing it!