Charity seeks help from residents to pick up plastics from towpath

Waterways charity Canal & River Trust is calling on people across the Bath area to help stop half a million pieces of plastic reaching the ocean by pledging to join its Plastics Challenge, according to the Bath Echo.

In the last six months, the charity has seen a national increase of 68% in reports from the public about unsightly litter on the towpath and in its canals and rivers.

Figures show that reports had more than doubled during the month of June this year compared with the same time last year. In Wales and the South West, reports of litter have increased by 119 percent.

The increase in reports is likely to be due to an increased public awareness of the plastics issue and that in many urban areas towpath usage has dramatically increased during the coronavirus lockdown – with people staying local and discovering their local canal towpath for the first time.

In Wales and the South West, usage of the towpath has increased dramatically. Use of the Kennet & Avon Canal towpath is up by 63 per cent on figures pre the lockdown in March.

The Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge offers an opportunity for people to get outside and make a difference to the litter levels in their local area.

If every time someone visits their local canal or river they pick up and dispose of just one piece of plastic, within a year there would be no plastic left.

Morgan Cowles, heritage and environment manager for the Canal & River Trust in Wales and the South West told the Bath Echo: “Every year 14 million pieces of plastic end up in and around our canals and rivers and these plastic bottles, food wrappers, bags and straws can be harmful for the fish, swans, ducks and birds that make the canals their home.

“By making a pledge to support our Plastics Challenge and taking part in a litter pick with your family, or on your own as part of your daily exercise, you are making a commitment to helping the local wildlife too.”

Read the full article online.