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Epping Forest Youth Councillors joined the big bag challenge to help spring clean Roydon.
Around 27 volunteers from Epping Forest Youth Council, Thames Water’s Environmental Protection team, The Canal & River Trust and EFDC Emergency Planning team joined in, and equipment was provided by the Cleaner Greener team at Epping Forest District Council.
Litter from the river and locks
The Jack Petchey Foundation funded the youth councillors’ travel costs and expenses. They arrived by canal boat, skippered by the CanalAbility project for disabled people in Harlow, collecting litter from the river and locks along the way. The Canal & River Trust provided 4 canoes for the youth councillors too.
Thames Water’s Environmental Protection team deals with river pollution from sewer misconnections and were happy to help the youth councillors in Roydon.
17 big bags of litter were collected along with larger objects including a deck chair and a venation blind The oldest piece of litter was dated 1993 – a Mars Milk drink container – still recognisable after 29 years!
Litter from the tow path and ditches
Volunteers found Roydon’s tow path and ditches littered with beer cans and old wine bottles, and numerous of cigarette butts at the level crossing. They also found many dogwalkers had discarded their animal’s poo bags in hedges and trees.
Get involved
The Big Bag Challenge was an initiative by Keep Britain Tidy but anyone wishing to conduct their own clean-up event can find guidance, a risk assessment and a form to request litter picking equipment and bags on our volunteer litter picking page.
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