Save our rivers from becoming dustbins
A DAMNING PLEA FROM CANOEISTS CRUSADING AGAINST PLASTIC...
I AGREE with Prince Charles, who said he is resisting saying ‘I told you so’ on plastic (Mail). But have nine out of ten of us really been inspired to change our shopping habits to avoid plastic and packaging that can’t be recycled, as has been reported? A few days ago, I took part in a river clean-up with six other paddlers from the Midland Canoe Club and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. In four kayaks and two open canoes, armed with sacks, grabbers, gloves and hand cleanser, we targeted a short stretch of the River Derwent in Derby as part of a campaign organised by British Canoeing and Surfers Against Sewage. We set off from our club in Darley Abbey, two miles north of Derby, and planned to clean up a five-mile stretch, to the park at Alvaston. However, by the time we had reached the Silk Mill, in the centre of Derby, we had filled all our sacks and the open canoes. We will have to make another trip to complete the final three miles below the city weir. One of our younger members, Joe McDermott, 17, is researching single-use plastic as a school project, so we counted all the bottles, drinks containers and food trays we had fished out of the river. There were 134 items from that short stretch of the Derwent. We also filled lots of sacks with glass, cans, plastic carrier bags, balls and a garden chair. The motor scooter we found on the riverbed was too large and heavy to retrieve! We were all appalled by the amount of rubbish we collected — most of it plastic. Why are people using this lovely river as a dustbin?
J. CHAMBERLIN, Ashbourne, Derbys. ON A recent visit to the supermarket, I felt so angry about all the packaging on my shopping that I ripped it all off, took it back into the store and handed it to customer services. I told them I didn’t want it and they needed to find another way of wrapping goods. I plan to do this every time as my own small crusade against single-use plastic.
GLENNIS TAYLOR, Nottingham. DOES Daniel Webb not realise he is contributing to the plastic problem with a diet based on sweets, crisps, chocolate, mints and ready meals? Incidentally, my council recycles food trays and plastic milk cartons complete with tops, so it can be done.
TONY HARVEY, Bangor, Co. Down.