Surfers Against Sewage

The background
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is a Cornish-based not-for-profit organisation campaigning for clean, safe recreational waters, free from sewage effluents, toxic chemicals, marine litter and nuclear waste.
They were founded in 1990 by a group of surfers, who were literally 'sick of getting sick' through repeated ear, nose, throat and gastric infections after going in the sea. Forming a local group they set about taking grassroots action to stop the sewage pollution at their local surf breaks in Cornwall. They were swiftly joined by like-minded water-users from around the UK and created what has now become a highly successful national campaign that gives recreational water users a voice on building a clean and safe water environment.
SAS’s core objective is to ensure that anyone who wishes to enjoy the water environment, whether as a year-round surfer or a summer time beach-goer, can do so without fear of sickness or long-term illness.
SAS have become respected eco-campaigners and are now putting skills learnt to good use in campaigning vigorously on a broad range of water issues that can impact both on the health of the water user and that of the water environment. Current campaigns include 'Sewage and Sickness', 'Safer Shipping', 'No To Toxics', 'Climate Chaos' and 'Marine Litter'.


Supporting our seas and beaches
At The Scarlet we aim to reduce our negative impact on our marine environment; we have installed many features, including a grey water recycling system and towel and linen change policies, which reduce the amount of water we use and the amount of detergent which ends up in our waterways. We have also adopted Mawgan Porth beach and run regular beach cleans in which staff, local residents and guests are invited to participate.
Additionally, as SAS are a local charity with a global impact on the cleanliness of our seas and beaches, we at The Scarlet are keen supporters; raising funds through the selling raffle tickets and donating money through the recycling of our printer and toner cartridges.  All money raised, by us and our guests’ donations, goes directly to assist with future campaigns designed to keep our sea and seaside clean.


SAS contact information:
For further information please visit www.sas.org.uk or contact our Sustainability Manager on sustainability@scarlethotel.co.uk or (01637) 861203.