‘Floating tips’ tackle major rubbish piles
Two “floating tip” boats have been launched on the canal in Bath to tackle a mounting rubbish crisis.
The Canal and River Trust spends £10,000 a year lifting general waste from three sites on the waterway and has seen soaring levels of flytipping.
Fridges, sofas and stoves are commonly dumped along with household rubbish, as there is no tip near the canal, they said.
Now, a pair of vessels called Sulis and Vale of Pewsey will make twohour trips on the waterway, collecting bulky goods from liveaboard boaters.
Their first voyage on Tuesday, August 17, started at 9.30am, and focussed on the western end of the Kennet and Avon Canal.
One left from Bath, while the other set off from Bradford-onavon, with the aim of meeting midway at the Dundas Aqueduct.
This operation will happen every three months in a bid to reduce the two skiploads of flytipped rubbish currently being lifted beside the canal every week.
Lee Brain, area operations manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: “With more people living along the canal it is inevitable that more refuse will be generated.
“Over the last four years, the amount we’re collecting has doubled.
“Sadly, we have also seen an increase in flytipping.
“We’ve been clearing around 25-30m3 of flytipping a week - the equivalent of two large construction skips - from sites along the Kennet & Avon Canal.
“Our ‘floating tip’ is intended to help our boating communities to keep the Kennet & Avon looking its very best and at the same time taking waste away so it does not go to landfill.
“We look forward to seeing how much we collect on our first trip.”
As well as starting the floating tip, the Canal and River Trust recently hired a new ranger to give advice and carry out small repairs.