Big River Clean-Up coming to the waterways of Leicester ahead of COP28

De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU) is joining forces with The Canal & River Trust and Leicester City Council to tackle litter in and around Leicester's waterways as part of a special Big River Clean-Up.

The activity, taking place on Wednesday 29 November, will see students and staff from the university working alongside teams from the Trust and Leicester City Council to remove rubbish from the water, towpath and adjacent land.

Focussed on the area around Limekiln Lock, next to Abbey Park, the day will see teams working their way along the river picking up rubbish. The Leicester City Council workboat, Kingfisher, will be on hand to help remove items from the water and get into those hard-to-reach places.

Teams will also work around the Willow Brook, which is known to bring rubbish and other debris into the river.

With COP28 set to get under way in Dubai on 30 November the activity is a timely reminder of the steps that can be taken locally to tackle the issues caused by rubbish, and particularly plastic pollution.

A staggering 14 million pieces of plastic end up in and around the Canal & River Trust's waterways each year - with 500,000 pieces ending up flowing out to sea. This is despite the charity's volunteers spending over 100,000 hours each year clearing litter from towpaths and an annual clean-up bill coming in at £1 million.

Rubbish in the city's waterways has a devastating impact on the precious habitats that are home to wildlife and nature - such as ducks, swans, otters, fish and amphibians - with many species of wildlife at risk of permanent harm from litter pollution.

Richard Bennett, Heritage and Environment Manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: "As a charity it's vital that we get the support of local people to keep Leicester's waterways alive, so we're delighted to be working with Leicester City Council and De Montfort University on the Big River Clean-Up.

"Litter has a devastating impact on the wildlife inhabiting canals and rivers. Animals get entangled in plastic packaging and can suffocate in items such as plastic bags. Creatures can cut themselves on sharp objects thrown away and the rubbish discarded damages their habitats.

"It's the little things we do on our doorstep that can make a world of difference and the Big River Clean-Up will make Leicester's waterways cleaner and more attractive for people and wildlife."

The activity is one in a series of events DMU is holding at its campuses in both Leicester and Dubai. More information on events happening at DMU can be found HERE.

Mark Charlton, DMU's Associate Director of Sustainable Development Goal Impact, said: "Our students and staff want to make a difference and have a practical impact on climate change - and this clean-up of our waterways is an excellent way of doing that.

"We are grateful to our partners for making this happen meaning we can make real-life improvements to Leicester's waterways and help stop plastics getting into our seas."

Deputy City Mayor for climate, economy and culture, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: "The River Soar is a wonderful natural habitat in the heart of the city, but keeping it free of litter is a constant struggle.

"Our environmental volunteers carry out weekly river cleaning sessions, both to help it to thrive as a haven for wildlife and to prevent flooding by removing trapped waste and debris.

"The Big River Clean-Up is a really good opportunity for us to work together with the Canal & River Trust and De Montfort University by getting students and staff involved."

He added: "It is vital that we tackle the amount of litter and other dumped items which can leak pollutants into the water, causing harm to birds, animals and fish in the process.

"By protecting the natural environment in this way, we also make our beautiful river corridor a better place for people to enjoy."

Any staff or students who would like to get involved please email [email protected] with 'Big River Clean-Up' in the subject line. We hope you will join us to work together and protect our rivers and wildlife.