Water of Leith Conservation Trust have ‘amazeballs’ January litter pick up

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust removed two ton bags of rubbish and several buckets of balls from the water on Wednesday.
Two ton bags and several boxes of balls were recovered from the Water of LeithTwo ton bags and several boxes of balls were recovered from the Water of Leith
Two ton bags and several boxes of balls were recovered from the Water of Leith

While level four Covid-19 restrictions have been in place, the trust have had to suspend their volunteer activities which includes daily group outings to do litter picks, wading the river for waste flushed down toilets that ends up in the river when the sewers can't deal with heavy rainfall, and doing walkway maintenance to keep it puddle free and removing invasive species.

But to keep the Water of Leith clean, two staff members ventured out on a boat to remove the waste along 13 miles of the walkway on a monthly basis.

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Project officer Johnny said: “We've been doing a monthly boat clean up and down in Leith for the past 12 months and we find a regular supply of tennis and dog balls every month.

One piece of litter or one ball lost on a walk adds up and can affect the wildlife in the riverOne piece of litter or one ball lost on a walk adds up and can affect the wildlife in the river
One piece of litter or one ball lost on a walk adds up and can affect the wildlife in the river

“It is a big problem, like the rest of the litter in the river and on the walkway which shows the cumulative effect when people think it's just one ball, one drink bottle or poo bag on the natural environment.

“At a time when the walkway is at its busiest and our ability to take care of it is limited, we'd encourage users firstly to not drop litter in the first place, give back to the river by picking up any they see before and letting us know via email if they see any fly tipping or litter hotspots.”

“We are noticing that as a result of the level four restrictions more and more people are making use of the walkway and discovering the escapism from this amazing green corridor that runs from Leith to Balerno and up into the Pentlands.

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“Thus we are finding an increase in litter along the walkway.

Project officer Johnny from the Water of Leith Conservation TrustProject officer Johnny from the Water of Leith Conservation Trust
Project officer Johnny from the Water of Leith Conservation Trust

“If all these objects end up in the river it would have a massive effect on the wildlife that people are so keen to see on their walks like the otters, kingfishers, dippers and heron amongst others. Whether that being from ingesting plastics or from being caught up and injured by rubbish.”

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust are able to loan out litter pickers to anybody who wants to do their own litter pick if they contact the trust via email.

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