The Treasure Your River campaign is out to clean up five major UK rivers, and our attitudes towards them.
Whether you’re a sailing club, a school, a local business, a charity or a resident, you are encouraged to join the network of volunteers who are getting behind this campaign to to put a plug in the pollution of their local waterways.
Phoebe Young
Fri 18 Oct 2019
A terrifying amount of trash pollutes the UK’s rivers.
Research reveals that 500,000 items of litter make their way into the sea from UK rivers every year. Treasure Your River is taking on: The Avon, The Mersey, The Thames, The Severn and The Forth, to remove 90 tonnes of trash from these five rivers and their tributaries over the next year.
Trewin Restorick from Hubbub says “The vast majority of plastics that end up in the world’s oceans are carried there by rivers. Cleaning up the river is one thing but preventing litter getting in there in the first place is really crucial. Until we change behaviour on land, this problem will just continue. ”
500,000 items of litter make their way into the sea from UK rivers every year.
Treasure Your River can help you tackle water pollution
Treasure Your River is due to launch in May 2020 and will work with businesses, residents, organisations and charities situated along the rivers. The campaign will initially focus on prevention and clean-up activities in the five major cities based on these rivers. (Bristol, Manchester, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh).
According to a Canal and Rivers Trust survey of 2,000 UK residents, 64% of people feel helpless about tackling the ocean litter crisis but 75% would like to do more to reduce the amount of litter ending up in the sea.
Join the campaign to take action and feel empowered.
Treasure Your River seek to both alleviate the current quantity of rubbish in the rivers, and stem the flow of trash going into them. The campaign will use practical interventions and education to rinse pollution out of the water. By getting involved in the campaign you’ll get advice and guidance about how your river should be more treasured.
Do you feel helpless when you look at the litter-lined banks of your local river? Join the campaign to take action and feel empowered.
Learn how rivers transport rubbish from our streets and riverbanks to the sea and how littering can be stopped by adopting new behaviours.
“Until we change behaviour on land, this problem will just continue”
With Treasure Your River you will be inspired to:
- Join interventions
- Look out for the new eye catching bins, and use them!
- Encourage everyone to take their rubbish home with them
- Get involved in two-minute litter picks
- Learn how to get rid of your fishing tackle the eco way
The campaign aims to create a legacy for each river
The campaign aims to create a legacy for each river, with an army of regular volunteers and litter-clearing infrastructure.
Do you live near one of these rivers? Join the movement to help it expand and reach other cities around the UK. A bit of collaboration, education and river respect will go a long towards blowing pollution out of the water.
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