Well done to our crew and all our volunteers who collected 674 drink containers during our September litter pick.
On September 28 we cleared 208 plastic bottles, 395 drinks cans, 65 glass bottles and six drinks cartons from the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal and towpath.
This Litter Pick was to support Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) Green Clean initiative to help provide evidence to convince the Government to adopt a bottle deposit return system.
We are huge supporters for the UK to have a bottle deposit return system. We were delighted to link up with CPRE for its campaign.
The morning was very busy collecting litter from the YMCA to Bridgwater Docks following the canal. Groups of volunteers tackled the towpath and we also had people in kayaks and canoes collecting litter on the waterway.
Altogether we collected 30 bags of rubbish. Ten bags were filled with general rubbish and 20 were full of drink containers that could be recycled.
At our previous litter picks plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles make up the majority of the litter we collect. It was great to prove this once again. A bottle deposit return system would certainly boost recycling rates and help eradicate litter of this kind in our countryside. The small financial incentive from the scheme will mean we see less of this kind of rubbish in our green spaces.
We once again would like to thank the Inland Waterway Association (IWA) Somerset Volunteers for aiding us with the litter pick and the Canal & River Trust for its ongoing support. It was fantastic to have all these associations as well as the CPRE coming together for the same cause, to keep our canal clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy.
Thanks also to the YMCA for lending us its kayaks and canoes free of charge. Also to the Purplespoon Café for its discount to our volunteers.
CPRE thanks us for our help
CPRE is the the countryside charity. It has been working in partnership with more than 20 community groups and volunteers across the country during September to help clean up green spaces and the countryside as part of its nationwide Green Clean.
Becky Collier, Branch Manager at CPRE Somerset, said: “It’s great that we could work in partnership with Rage Against Rubbish and local volunteers for the Bridgwater Green Clean.
“Litter left on the canal towpath, local streets, and canal itself isn’t just an eyesore, it can be extremely harmful to wildlife and nature. It’s amazing and heart-warming to see how many local people care about their environment.
“On Saturday alone in just a couple of hours, we collected a staggering number of harmful drinks cans, bottles and cartons. Just think what a difference it would make if these were all worth something, even just a few pennies? CPRE will use the data from all the Green Cleans to keep up pressure on the Government to bring in a comprehensive deposit return system as soon as possible.”
