How to treasure your river with Hubbub
16/6/2021
Seeing as we’re donating 2.5% of our picnic hamper sales to environmental charity Hubbub (the other 2.5% goes to Keep Britain Tidy), we thought it was only fitting to hand over our blog to them to hear more about their pirate-themed litter campaign ‘Treasure Your River.’
This guest post was written by Jack Hodgkiss (He/Him), a Creative Partner at Hubbub, working across many of their litter and recycling projects. Currently he is captaining ‘Treasure Your River’ to inspire more people to get involved in litter-picks through engaging events.
He believes it should be easy and rewarding for individuals to do the right thing for the environment, and loves celebrating any positive changes someone makes, regardless of their motivations or where they are on their sustainability journey.
Over to Jack…
Keep Your Rubbish From Swimming With The Fishes
Is Ocean Litter An Issue for the UK?
Most of us are all but too aware of the waves of plastic, litter and blown-away rubbish which is building up in our oceans. It’s not just a coastal problem, around 80% of plastic in the ocean makes its way there from land, sailing down our rivers, waterways and pipes before finding itself swimming with the fishes.
In the UK, the Canal and River Trust report that 500,000 items of plastic litter are reaching the sea from just the waterways they manage. In the River Thames, 300 tonnes of litter are cleared each year and a whopping 28% of all fish in the River Thames have been found to have microplastics in their gut. Cardiff Harbour Authority manage to clear 500 tonnes from Cardiff Bay each year and the River Mersey has a higher concentration of microplastics than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Ocean litter is a UK-wide problem and if we live anywhere near a river or a drain it’s something we might all be contributing towards. Over lockdown, many of us have felt more connected to nature and grown more concerned about the impacts of litter on our local environment, something that is likely to increase as restrictions are further lifted. A massive 75% of us want to do more to tackle Ocean plastic. So how do we get started?
What you can do
As part of their #TreasureYourRiver campaign, Hubbub have pulled together some top-tips that all of us can try to implement into our lives to reduce the likelihood that our litter will end up making its way to rivers, down drains and sailing out to sea.
- Reach for a reusable. If you don’t already have one – treat yourself to a nice reusable hot drinks mug, lunch container, travel cutlery, water bottle, tote bag, or anything else you use regularly! Shop around before you buy so you know it’s tried-and-tested. A reusable uses a lot of resources to make and it’s only better for the planet if you use it time-and-time again. If you want to save your money or considering which one to buy, you can always reuse a plastic bottle or a plastic container instead.
- Shop naked. Lots of supermarkets and shops now offer packaging free options on daily essentials like shampoos and soaps – and many shops such as bakers or butchers are very welcoming to you bringing your own packaging to take items home in. If you can’t avoid packaging, see if you can buy something made from recycled material to show your support for the circular economy – just remember to recycle what you can.
- Recycle it right. Double check your packaging and the bin you’re using to be 100% sure what goes where. Lots of major supermarkets are now encouraging customers to bring back flexible or soft plastics to be recycled. If you’re in doubt as to whether it can be recycled, it’s best to leave it out as one wrong item can sometimes lead to the whole lot being thrown away.
- Avoid full bins! Whilst we think we’re doing the right thing by trying to use it, when we cram things into full bins or put our rubbish next to it – there’s a very good chance our waste can be blown away or stolen by a pesky seagull…
- Watch what you flush. Sometimes what we flush can end up floating down your nearest river. Only flush the three P’s – pee, poo and toilet paper! Pop everything else in the bin, including ‘flushable’ wet-wipes, sanitary products and cotton-buds.
- Care for your clothes. Didn’t expect this one? Synthetic clothing can shed microfibres in the wash. To help reduce this you can wash your clothes less frequently, use a lower temperature cycle, and make sure your washing machine is full when you put it on.
How to get involved
If you’re keen to go the extra (nautical) mile, you could consider giving a local litter-pick a go. The Canal and River trust say that if everyone who visited a UK canal and waterway picked up just one piece of litter – our waterways would be free of litter in just one year.
As part of their #TreasureYourRiver campaign, Hubbub will be inviting people on-board a Plastic Fishing boat, encouraging people to captain a remote-control litter-eating pirate ghost ship (see pictures), and joining a silent disco or scavenger hunt litter pick. To get involved and sign up visit the #TreasureYourRiver website.
If you’re struggling to find a local group get in touch with the Hubbub team to see if they can help or search for a group near you.
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