Week of Action helps #UpstreamBattle hit its survey target
01 February 2024
Despite wet and windy weather resulting in events scheduled for the beginning of the week being cancelled, 10 events still went ahead across the country with 89 volunteers collecting 147 bags of rubbish and carrying out 96 marine litter surveys in total across the country.
Our Upstream Battle® Week of Action took place between 20 - 28 January, with the number of surveys completed meaning we've passed our target of 150 surveys for our national data set.
Events spanned from Wick to Lockerbie, with members of #TeamKSB working with community groups, volunteers and businesses conducting marine litter surveys and litter picks along rivers. Amongst the more commonly littered items such as cigarette butts and plastic bags, a musical instrument case, a two piece sofa set and a brand new pair of shoes were found!
The most unusual littered item discovered was a Fanta can with a ring pull, dating it as having been dropped sometime before 1989. It was found by Wick Paths group during their Upstream Battle® event and even featured in the local news.
A total of 96 marine litter surveys being carried out means we now have 156 marine litter surveys, but we still want to complete more. Marine litter surveys help us to assess the problem, how we can support those who litter and ultimately reduce litter locally, bringing us ever closer to our goal of stopping litter's journey from source to sea.
Heather McLaughlin, our Campaigns Coordinator, said: "Although the weather wasn't on our side we still managed to surpass our target, with some fantastic events taking place across Scotland.
"We know that 90% of people think litter is a problem across the country, so we need to take action to address this issue and the information we've collected through our Week of Action will be vital as we reverse Scotland's litter emergency.
"None of this would be possible without the desire and determination of those who want to keep Scotland beautiful so we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part."
If you didn't manage to attend any of our Week of Action events but would like to get involved in our fight against litter, you can organise your own marine litter survey or register an event as part of #SpringCleanScotland 2024.
