Coastal Recycling supported a Tarka Trail & Estuary Clean Up on 20th September 2024 which was hosted by Plastic Free North Devon (PFND). PFND hailed the day a success with businesses, organisations and members of the public joining them in a World Clean Up Day event.
With the aim of World Clean Up Day being to activate 5% of the world’s population to catalyse lasting societal change in behaviour around mismanaged waste, PFND targeted businesses and local organisational partners along the Tarka Trial to join them in a mass clean of the trail and estuary from Chivenor to Bideford.
With funding and support from Coastal Recycling and Saltrock to run the event as well as securing additional logistical support from North Devon Council and Torridge District Council, PFND were able to help activate and organise cleans at 12 different locations and along this route.
100 volunteers from 12 local businesses and organisations collected 500 kilos of rubbish along 10.6 miles of the Tarka Trail. Each group collected bags of debris from the estuary and trail including some usual finds: 3 crocs (the shoe variety), a bike wheel, a car stereo, make up and a garden fork to name but a few. With the most common finds being plastic bottles drinks cans and fishing related debris
The charity would like to extend their thanks to all the businesses and organisations who came out to support this initiative. Saltrock, Coastal Recycling, SEA, Boden Group, North Devon National Landscapes, Braunton Countryside Centre, Brends Hotel, Eden Sustainable, The Pickwell Foundation, dryrobe®, Instow Yacht Club, Braunton Countryside Centre and Home Farm Marsh. All of these businesses and organisations helped in making this event a success.
Claire Moodie, PFND CEO says:
“Our first mass clean up on World Clean Up Day saw 100 volunteers helping to clear away debris and plastics from not only one of the most ecologically important areas in our region, but a place where locals and visitors enjoy too.We loved the logistical challenge of bringing multiple businesses, organisations and individuals together to take action in the area we love alongside millions of others across the globe on the same day. It was great to see our North Devon MP Ian Roome and some of our local councillors getting stuck in too. We hope to build on this pilot project ready for next year’s event where we hope we can get even more people activated to help protect and improve our local environment.”
Saltrock financially supported the clean and also sent a team of members along to help with the clean up. Kate Ross-Smith Marketing Manager, Saltrock says:
“Myself and members of the Saltrock team took part in the clean on World Clean Up Day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We believe in supporting community initiatives and our teams being involved where they can. Many of our customers come here on holiday and use the Tarka Trail around this stretch of estuary, so it’s important to support and sponsor this larger community clean- up and protect the wildlife and nature of the Tarka Trail environment. Plastic Free North Devon is a crucial organisation and plays a key role in the sustainability, protection and flourishing of it”.
As well as financially supporting the clean up, a Coastal Recycling team went along to the cleans and also organised the waste collection along the trail too.
Emily Delve, Commercial Director Coastal Recycling states:
“Tackling the plastic pollution problem is a cause close to our hearts. At Coastal Recycling we see first-hand the amount of plastic that comes into our processing sites for recycling, sadly this is only around 45% of the plastics produced, with a large proportion of the rest ending up in our oceans. This clean-up of the Tarka Trail took place in and around the communities we work in. We are lucky enough to live and work in this beautiful and diverse area so it’s essential we nurture and protect our environment.”
The next clean
PFND will host another large scale clean up, which directly calls on local businesses and organisations to support is our Day of Action on 25th January 2025.
To register your interest in getting involved, please get in touch with info@plasticfreenorthdevon.org
To find out about any future PFND clean up events from or any other information about the charity you can head to their website / social media pages.
There are currently six confirmed public cleans on the route for everyone to get involved with.