On the 5th September, a team of Triton volunteers ventured out with the Canal & River Trust in our 5th canal clean up. 

 

The Canal & River Trust care for a 2,000-mile-long, 200-year-old network of canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks. Their vision is to have living waterways that transform places and enrich our lives, for today and generations to come.

 

With the canal located just behind our head office, Triton volunteers set off on their canal cleaning journey, armed with lots of water and sunscreen.

 

This time out with the charity, the team hopped on a barge to travel along the canal, catching any litter they could find in the water. Along with many bottles, cans, wrappers etc., the team also managed to retrieve a discarded mattress and sofa. It was challenging work, but a great effort by everyone on what was an extremely hot day. 

 

We managed to fill a whole truck load of waste! It’s important to consider the impact this has on the local and wider environment. Often these materials are non-biodegradable and contaminate the waterways and wildlife with forever chemicals. Afterall, just because an item is dumped doesn’t mean it goes away; someone, somewhere has to retrieve it and often at a much higher cost than if the waste was properly disposed of.

 

 

 

The Canal & River Trust always responsibly dispose of the waste they find. In 2021/22, 93% of waste from customer sites, their offices, and worksites was diverted away from landfill, which was split between being recycled (88%) and waste to energy (5%). In 2021/22 they spent over £1.4m emptying bins and skips, and dealing with litter, fly-tipping and hazardous waste. 

 

We love our local waterways, and we want to see them flourish. 

 

We look forward to continuing to work with the Canal & River Trust!