the anti-plastic PATROLLER

LIZZIE CARR FOUNDED PLANET PATROL AND USES PADDLEBOARDING MISSIONS TO HIGHLIGHT PLASTIC POLLUTION IN OUR WATERWAYS

“I was blindsided when I was diagnosed with cancer at 25, but it was during my recovery that I discovered paddleboarding. I wanted to do something to get stronger and when I tried it, I loved it – not least for the calming effect of being on the water. But once I started exploring rivers around London, I saw the extent of plastic pollution. Once, I spotted a coot’s nest made almost entirely of rubbish – it was heartbreaking.

Back then, in 2015, people were starting to pay attention to plastic in oceans, but there was no mention of rivers. Yet around 80 per cent of marine debris starts inland and by the time it ends up in oceans, and sinks, it’s almost irretrievable.

So I decided to paddleboard the length of England – 400 miles – to document the litter I found. It was gruelling, but the mission kept me going, cataloguing more than 1,600 plastic bottles and 850 plastic bags.

I launched the Planet Patrol app (planetpatrol.co) so others could log litter, too. People now use it in 83 countries, from Iraq to Russia. We can’t litter-pick ourselves out of this problem but we can use the information on what we collect – the type of litter, brand, location – to create accountability. We have submitted our findings to DEFRA and the main offending brands. More of them are realising that they need to walk the walk when it comes to sustainability.

I’ve since set records paddleboarding the English Channel and the Hudson River in the US to raise awareness of microplastics. We’re seeing birds starving because their stomachs are full of it. And the WWF has estimated that we’re already each consuming a credit-card-sized amount every week! Every piece of litter someone documents is more data to help push for change and I feel optimistic when I see how many people want that.”