Teignbridge Canoe Club ran its first “plastics paddle” this weekend with the aim of recovering plastic and other litter from its home estuary – the Teign.  Club members filled seven bin bags with 863 items of waste found on the shoreline.   The most common items found were drink bottles and lids, plastic straws, disposable cups and polystyrene.   Club chairman Kevin Jones said “our club paddlers spend a lot of time on the water in and around the estuary so it made sense to run an event that was focused on improving its environment.  We were all surprised by just how much litter and plastic we found on the shoreline and what a difference we made in a short space of time”.

Globally its estimated that between 1.15 – 2.4 million tonnes of plastic waste enters our oceans every year.  This is killing marine wildlife and entering the food chain when it breaks down into micro-plastics.   It’s important that we all take care to avoid litter and minimise our use of single-use plastics.

Link to full size image.