Organisation
- Prior organisation is crucial to the success of large-scale clean-up campaigns. Along a stream, river or canal, organise rubbish collection points at bridges or other access points. Make sure there is a person in charge at each collection point throughout the day.
- Divide the volunteers into teams, each responsible for a stretch of the waterway. Very large items which cannot easily be moved should be noted, and then collected later by a team equipped with a winch.
- Arrange for skips or other containers to be removed as soon as possible, and preferably at the end of the day, to avoid rubbish ending up back in the waterway.
Procedural points
- Gloves should be worn. Watch out for broken glass, rusty tins, barbed wire and other sharp objects. These are best collected into a rigid container such as a dustbin, and then tipped into the skip at the collection point. Don’t put them into bin bags with mixed rubbish where they can cause injury to someone carrying the bag.
- Small items can be collected in strong bin bags or fertiliser sacks. Depending on the volume of rubbish and the available labour, tins, plastic bottles, glass bottles and other items can be put into separate bags for recycling as they are collected, with one person collecting each type of item. Otherwise, just put everything in together for disposal. In winter, check tins and bottles for hibernating amphibians. Keep an eye out for old bottles which may have some antique value.
- Larger items of scrap metal are worth collecting for recycling. Order a separate skip for scrap metal, or if you find more than you expect, pile it up at the collection point for removal.
- Drag out heavy items with a winch and cable. Make sure the cable or chain is secure, and that the route is clear of snags before winching in. Once the item is up on the bank, leave it to drain for a few minutes before moving it farther. This lightens it, and gives aquatic organisms a chance to escape in the runoff water.
- Puddled ponds may have a protective layer of gravel, paving slabs or bricks over the clay lining. Don’t pull these out as rubbish.
