River Mersey project launched to tackle plastic litter

Volunteers collect about 1,000 bin bags of litter from the river each year

The amount of plastic waste in the River Mersey is to be studied in a widespread survey to try to tackle the problem of littering.

Each year about 900 volunteers collect roughly 1,000 bin bags of litter, much of it plastic, Mersey River Trust said.

The Plastic Free Mersey project wants to highlight the scale of the problem and change people's behaviour to reduce the impact on the environment.

The findings should help tackle plastic pollution in other waterways.

The two-year project is led by the Mersey Rivers Trust and Thames21, which has identified the most common items of plastic litter on the River Thames.

Working with plastics and waste industries the project will identify if similar statistics apply to the River Mersey or if there are differences.

Trained volunteers will work to sort, count and quantify items they find at litter blackspots across the river and its tributaries, flowing from the Pennines to Liverpool Bay.

The litter will be safely removed and disposed of.

Common types of light plastic litter found in rivers

• Food wrappers

• Cotton bud sticks

• Drinks bottles or lids

• Cups

• Other single-use plastic items

John Sanders, a director at Mersey Rivers Trust, said: "We are delighted to have seen a massive improvement in ecology and water quality in the River Mersey over the past 30 years.

"Unfortunately, plastic pollution has increased over the same period."

He said the project would help protect the Mersey and other rivers in the future.