Volunteers waste no time bagging tonnes of litter strewn along river
AN electric bike, a shopping trolley and dozens of bags full of plastic bottles, cans and wrappers were recovered from the banks of the River Derwent when a major litter-pick took place in the centre of Derby.
Around 100 volunteers, including staff and students from Derby College and University of Derby, retrieved the rubbish so it could be properly disposed of following the event, which was called the Big Derby Clean Up and took place yesterday.
The clean-up was the brainchild of city environmental organisation Think Ocean, which joined forces with the college and University to clear rubbish from the banks and immediate vicinity of the river around the Museum of Making, River Gardens and Bass’s Recreation Ground.
Joining the organisations were staff from Hazelwood firm Lubrizol, Derby City Council, waste management firm Veolia and X Factor singer Russell Jones
Jr – who is an ambassador for Think Ocean – and Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and Tool Club star M a x McMurdo.
Think Ocean campaigns to raise awareness of the damage being done to the marine environment by the millions of tonnes of discarded plastic that ends up in the sea each year, having first flowed from inland via rivers.
Tuesday’s event was the perfect example of what the group works so hard to raise awareness of, with volunteers returning from their litter-picking duties with bags full of rubbish and plastic, much of which was left over from flooding caused by Storm Babet last year.
Think Ocean’s joint founder, Hugo Valdes-Vera, meanwhile, took to the river in an inflatable canoe to retrieve more plastic from its waters, filling even more rubbish bags with old sheeting, bottles and food wrappers. He said: “We’re very grateful to everybody for giving up their time today. They collected a lot of rubbish which can now be properly disposed of so it won’t ever get anywhere near to the sea.
“Ocean plastic pollution isn’t caused by what happens out at sea, it starts inland when someone drops a bottle and it ends up in a nearby stream or river.”
Liz Thompson, environment and sustainability manager at the University of Derby, said: “Derbyshire is a landlocked county, so there’s not an obvious connection with the ocean.
“This event helps them to understand how all waterways lead to the sea and they can have a positive impact right here in the centre of Derby.
To find out more about Think Ocean visit www.thinkocean.earth
They collected a lot of rubbish which can now be properly disposed of. Hugo Valdes-Vera