Clean Up Bristol Harbour, a voluntary group, is marking a decade of removing plastic pollution and unusual items from Bristol Harbour. The group, which started in September 2016, has found everything from an inflatable doll and a Nintendo Switch to a message in a bottle and a Marathon chocolate wrapper.
Founder Chloe Juyon noted that much of the floating rubbish is inaccessible from the harbourside, highlighting the importance of volunteers getting onto the water. The project is now run by All Aboard Watersports.
Between 2021 and 2023, 236 volunteers removed more than 880kg of waste, including plastic packaging, bottles, and cans, with nearly 390kg sent for recycling. Charley Peak-Payne from All Aboard Watersports stated that a cleaner harbour has positively impacted watersports users and wildlife, allowing for swimming events that were not possible ten years ago due to pollution.
Despite its success, the project's future is uncertain as its current funding is ending. All Aboard Watersports has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to raise an initial £5,000 to continue the clean-up efforts. To mark its 10th anniversary, the group will hold a community clean-up event later today, coinciding with World Cleanup Day.