The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Used wet wipes and sanitary products ending up in river
Cigarette stubs, plastic packets, period products and wet wipes are four of the most common items of rubbish fished out of the River Tay.
Volunteer litter pickers from the Upstream Battle campaign have been combing the river for waste since the Keep Scotland Beautiful project began last year.
They worked at six sites along the length of the river – Aberfeldy, Nytie Burn, Perth, Dundee, Dighty Water and Broughty Ferry.
Cigarettes are at the top of the list of rubbish found, sewage-related debris, including wet wipes and period products, were also a serious issue.
Unfortunately, volunteers collected a lot of this type
“We need to tackle this problem upstream
of rubbish on Broughty Ferry beach.
Many of the plastic items fished from the waters came from food and drink packaging.
Barry Fisher is CEO at Keep Scotland Beautiful.
He said: “We know that 80% of marine litter comes from land. We need to tackle this problem upstream.
“Our stats also highlight that litter levels are on the rise. Our poll shows 88% of people believe that litter is a problem nationally.
“If we want to get rid of marine litter in our seas and oceans we need to understand how, where and what types of litter are getting into our local waterways.”
He said the campaign report “really highlights the level of the problem on the Tay”.
“The data will help build a wider picture of the litter out there and its potential impact. That will allow us to target the problem effectively.”
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: “It’s critical we continue to receive buy-in from all who live, work, study and visit Dundee.
“This will help us to take the required action to prevent litter from entering the River Tay from land and the damaging effects it can have.”
Upstream Battle volunteers carried out 39 local surveys, fishing out more than 3,000 items from Scotland’s longest river. They have timed their report to coincide with World Oceans Day.