- ULKC cleans litter from Lower Shannon
Last Saturday, the University of Limerick Kayak Club organised a river clean-up on the Lower Shannon, as part of a world wide initiative by the Surfrider Foundation (www.initiativesoceanes.org). 22 participants collected bottles, traffic cones and a lot of unexpected items along the banks and from the islands on the section below Worlds End.
Kayakers have the great benefit of being able to reach most parts of the river, including isolated reed fields and narrow channels, with relatively low disturbance of the flora and fauna. 31 bags of rubbish were collected, most of it along the first 500 metre, and then transported by canoe. Plastic bags were found as high as 2m overhead, due to the recent flooding.
It is now thought that 90% of marine pollution comes from the land, via our rivers. The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a “slick” of litter, is now nearly one third the size of Europe. Worrying? Everyone can do their bit, it’s very simple:
• Throw your food wrappers and bottles in the bin and make sure they don’t blow out!
• Reduce, reuse and recycle
• Don’t tolerate litter! Set the right example and report dumping.
ULKC hopes that next year more clubs and organisations will organise clean-ups as well. It doesn’t need to be done from a kayak, just walking a beach or riverbank is just as useful. The Surfrider Foundation organises this initiative every year during the first weekend in spring. There were 807 cleanups registered this year; schools, clubs and individuals are all welcome and it is good fun.
And please sign the petition: the European institutions still do not consider macro-waste to be a genuine form of pollution and have currently no acts in place to battle it.
Kim Siekerman's Weblog 
