Volunteer power: Litter picking the River Slea

Working alongside Grantham RiverCare, Plastic Free Sleaford, and local Cadets, we were able to make a big difference to Sleaford's waterways.

In just 2 hours the group collected 20 bags of litter from across Sleaford town centre.

Alongside the usual plastic bottles, crisp packets and cigarette butts, the group found some more memorable items! Pulling from the river: 3 cones, the wheels from an office chair, an iPhone, a broken TV, doll parts (barbie body, doll head, and one arm), a shopping basket and a mug (ready for a tea break anyone).

Vapes continued to be an issue in the town centre, with volunteers removing 30 from the river during this litter pick. As a small electrical item vapes contain a battery alongside wires and the vape liquid, which means a single vape could cause harm to the wildlife who call the River Slea home.

At the end of the morning the volunteers had just one message: Please Take Litter Home.

Feeling inspired?

Join the next litter pick on Sunday, July 14th. Simply show up in The Hub car park, at 10am for equipment and instructions. Make sure you dress for the weather and wear study footwear, if you have a pair of gardening gloves we recommend bringing them along as we don’t always have gloves in suitable sizes.

If you are interested in joining this event join the facebook community and register your interest - https://www.facebook.com/share/GcL1viFi2vgMvwKm/ - or simply turn up on the day!

The River Slea Clean-Up Group is one of almost 50 such groups which are part of the RiverCare and the BeachCare programme, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, and funded by Anglian Water. The programme supports local groups to tackle litter, carry out wildlife surveys and habitat improvements to make a real difference to their local environment.