Pick up your butts! Cigarettes top plastic litter in rivers -
Volunteers cleared rubbish on England's waterways for Plasticblitz. Cigarette butts most common plastic item found in 2 weeks of litter-picking.
Bringing together volunteers from all walks of life, the annual Plasticblitz has people clearing rubbish from rivers and riverbanks, recording what they find and recycling it where they can.
Organised by environmental charity Thames21, the Plasticblitz sees community groups, environmental charities, rotary clubs and Environment Agency staff taking part in a mass litter-pick and citizen science event on England’s waterways.
Over two weeks this summer:
- 585 volunteers cleared around 58km of river.
- 699 bags of rubbish were collected.
- 71 per cent of recorded waste was plastic.
- Cigarette ends were the most numerous plastic items, followed by drinks lids and food wrappers.
Cigarette butts are believed to be the no.1 most-littered single-use plastic item in the world. The vast majority of cigarette filters contain plastic fibres.
Maria Herlihy, a waterways manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Plasticblitz is a great initiative and we were happy to take part again this year. Although the figures for plastic pollution are shocking, it’s always great to see how much difference determined volunteers can make to our rivers. And everyone has a part to play – by reducing their plastic waste, and disposing of it responsibly. Please – pick up your butts!”
This is the first year that the Plasticblitz expanded beyond the Thames basin.
Chris Coode, chief executive of Thames21, said: “Since 2021, Thames21 has worked with Environment Agency teams, communities and river action groups to remove plastic waste from the River Thames and its tributaries. Now all UK rivers can be included in this annual citizen science event, and we hope to see even more people participating next year. Water quality and the health of rivers must improve. As we keep on reiterating, plastic litter has no place in our rivers or the natural environment. So it is great that the Plasticblitz has brought community groups together for the third time in the space of two years to raise awareness of the issue and help us gather vital evidence to push for change. Pollution is a widespread problem and we must all act together to combat it."