Our rivers are drowning in litter. Plastic is hitting the headlines on a daily basis and the impact that it is having our environment. This includes our rivers.

The trouble is, litter dropped on land, often ends up in our rivers and drifts out to sea resulting in harm to land, river and marine life. There isn’t a part of our landscape that litter isn’t reaching. Last year’s reports on rubbish really demonstrated how connected our rivers and seas are. The Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) annual beach clean report revealed that rubbish washing up on UK beaches is continuing to increase, and had risen by 10% in 2017. But people dropping litter on the beaches might not be the sole problem. A report conducted by the Helmhotz Centre for Environmental Research, found that 90% of plastic polluting our oceans, comes from just ten rivers in the world, and although none of these rivers are UK based, the report really highlighted how our rivers are acting as the highway for our rubbish, transporting rubbish from streets to sea. With litter knowingly travelling from land, to river and out to sea, there has never been a better time for Rivers Trusts to call on their #LitterHeroes to join in on the Keep Britain Tidy Great British Spring Clean and help stop litter in its tracks. Visit the GB Spring Clean Campaign here or find a Rivers Trust River Cleanup near you here.

Great British Spring Clean on Biteable.