Riverside Clear-up

Rivers and other waterways surround us; acting as ecosystems, transport routes and quite often just a space where we can escape to. The numerous river paths frequented by dog-walkers, joggers and pram-pushing parents are testament to this. As such, it appears somewhat bizarre that we continue to use them as waste-disposal systems; seemingly loading their banks with all our unwanted items.

Many organisations have formed to help protect these much loved spaces; clearing up the area and reinvigorating the natural inhabitants. To ensure their work remains sustainable, a key role for them is education. By teaching young people about the purposes and potentials associated with our rivers, they are able to change lifestyle habits and inspire the continuation of conservation.

With assistance from the Canal-river Trust and Groundwork, staff and students came together to help clear up the riverbank near Queen’s Campus. They armed themselves with loppers and litter-pickers to attack the overgrowth and excessive rubbish.

Over the course of the morning the team collected many barrows of vegetation, ten bags of rubbish, a peculiar length of plastic and what Luke is convinced were the remains of a pirate ship. A member of the public walked passed and was shocked that all that rubbish had been collected in such a short stretch of river-way. Notable items included: a size 6 black croc; a pair of trainers; a chair back and an extraordinarily large quantity of polystyrene.