A week or so ago it ocurred to me that the skip we nearly filled up on the 20th of October Clean-up still had room for a few more bags of plastic and having looked at the foreshore on the northern most tip of Cliffe Creek, there were still quite a few bags to be cleared. At short notice it was going to be difficult to muster a large number to do the work considering the skip is only in situ for two weeks and due to be picked up tomorrow the 2nd of November.
As luck would have it I bumped into three dog walkers out on the track, firstly Simon Evans who I had never met before but eagerly volunteered to help and the next day Jan and Don Baker, who I had met before as they had fostered some of our rescued hedgehogs.
So this morning Don, Simon and I met in the RSPB Salt Lane car park, armed with gloves, bags, pickers and other safety items off we set.
Over various blogs quite a few photos have been uploaded of the plastic that blights the southern foreshore upper tidelines of the mighty River Thames, but here is a reminder (as) if one were needed!
So Simon, Don and I managed to clear 15 black plastic bags of plastic in two hours, here is a picture of the result.
That said, as always, the question is 'What is it and where does it come from?' As noted before the majority of plastic comprises the following, not necessarily in any order.
Plastic drinks bottles and their tops, plastic drinking straws, sanitary applicators, shotgun cartridge inserts and cotton bud wands. Many other items were noted ie plastic bread pallets and plastic twines of varying sizes.
Looking at the two images, it almost seems facetious to ask which one is the more accepable. If, as I suspect you might, think the latter is by far the most accepable, email me or Northward Hill RSPB to register for the first clean-ups of 2019.