I have for sometime had it in my mind to clean up the River Thames foreshore from RSPB Cliffe Pools to the disused jetty at Lower Hope Point of the washed up plastic, but the task was enormous so much had accumulated over the months if not years, resulting in a mountain of plastic waste.
Part of the problem was that it is just over the sea defence wall on the North Kent Marsh and almost no-one saw it and it's not even that visible from the river either, so only the occasional birder or walker who clambered up the slippery grassy bank to peer over this concrete barrier would be aware of this detritus.
So I was delighted to be put in touch with a local businessman Ian Parker who had peered over the wall and like me was appalled by the amount of plastic on the foreshore.
Along with Ian, Simon Ginnaw from RSPB Maidstone Group and Will Tofts, RSPB Warden for the North Kent Marshes we decided something had to done.
We met yesterday for an inaugural meeting of a quorum to plan a clean-up.
I had already spoken to Norse, who'd offered assistance and the Port of London Authority who have responsibility for the Thames foreshore and indeed own the marsh adjacent.
It was my great pleasure along with Will and Tanya Ferry from the PLA to feature in a piece on BBC News SE last night to highlight the problem and our intention to clean up the plastic, which unless you have been living on the moon you will be aware are choking our waterways, seas, oceans and sealife to death.
Plastic pollution is right up there with climate change.
My two and a half year old Grandaughter loves a kids programme featuring turtles and it is the one of the first words she learnt. I do not want her to inherit a world where she will only see a cartoon turtle and never a real one, because they have all choked to death on a plastic bag.
As has been said many times before this is not just about turtles, it's about all sealife, all life in fact, human-life and ultimately the planet.
We must all act now, the plastic time bomb is ticking away.
Watch this blog for details how you can help us in the Spring to clean up this man-made mess!
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The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.