The Awful Impact of Litter on our rivers

Our rivers may look lovely, but they are under continuous threat from litter.

Many pieces of plastic, cigarette butts, or food wrappers dropped carelessly into the environment find their way into our rivers. Rivers are homes for wildlife like fish, ducks and dragonflies, and litter can hurt animals if they try to eat it, or if they get tangled in plastic rings or nets.

An example of litter around a river, image created by AI

Of course, we all know that litter looks horrible and makes areas worse to live in for us as well. The natural environment used by people and wildlife is degraded by litter.

But the impact goes beyond looking bad and even hurting wildlife; litter in rivers is a significant risk to human health. Contaminants seep into the water, affecting drinking supplies and polluting our water.

We can all do simple things to help – recycle litter where possible, or bin it. Make sure it is not blowing into parks and open areas. Together, we can look after our rivers for future generations.

Looking for some fun ways to recycle plastic?

• Check out Severn Trent’s Planet Saving Superhero craft activities: https://www.stwater.co.uk/content/dam/stw/about_us/education/planet_saving_superheroPDF.pdf

• Find new ways to reuse and recycle household waste with The Wildlife Trusts: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/recycle-and-reuse