Important:   Litter can be contaminated, so we have put together some information to help you handle it safely. Please click on this link to have a read through our Health and Safety Guidance before you go out litter-picking.

 

Clearing the reeds

Coventry,CV6 5BD

01 May 2019

23:00

Picking litter from the reeds and water in particular between bridge 3 and 2, on the bend of the canal Fresh after being chased by a moorhen dad last night on my walk home (I kid you not!) as I walked along the towpath completely unaware that mother and baby were hiding in the reeds I was looking at prompting me to do this litter pick, I was indeed shouted at my an angry mama first off before the dad came charging across the water from the bankside and proceeded to aggressively fly and shout at me for several metres! I was so scared but more than that sad for them that they have to protect so fiercely from animal predators and worse, humans. For we are indeed such a destructive awful species in all the bad that we do that is normalised as regular everyday behaviour (I’m talking consuming some animals, looking after others, and campaigning to save others, it’s all very hypocritical behaviour but this rant can be saved for another platform).

Back to the litter pick, luckily there wasn’t heaps of rubbish in the reeds but I was thinking little and often is best to keep on top of things and as things are starting to grow and become lush and bushy and in there will lurk plastic and metal and glass so the sooner it’s spotted and removed before the cow parsley and pretty yellow irises grow as tall as me! For once I managed to collect a manageable weight and carry my full Aldi Bag for Life with ease and comfort the mile to the end of the canal basin without huffing and puffing, blowing a runny nose, swapping hands too much. I left the towpath and opted to empty in the bin in a car park as there is less likelihood of the rubbish flying out and back into the canal or towpath or for some yucky people to get bored one day and chuck it all in the water just for fun or something to do. My bag for life was on its last legs and had suffered some injuries (rips and tears) on this pick and previously so i bid farewell to that too and hope I come across another bag for life carelessly littered so that I can use it for my picks! .

upcoming Events

No upcoming events

past Events

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick with CRT

Coventry Towpath Taskforce: 9.30-12 My very first time joining the Coventry towpath taskforce run by the Canal & River Trust (CRT), I joined a lovely group of volunteers at around 9.40 (the start time...

Talk at local festival

I will be giving a short talk at the 'Reclaiming Coventry Canal' festival organised by Cov Uni and the Peace House in Foleshill as part of the Positive Images festival. I will be telling my story of h...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick on way to work I haven't walked along the canal for around a week or two as I have had errands to run before work so have been walking a different way to work, it's the longest time I hav...

Bank Holiday Home Pick

Impromptu litter pick on my street For months, maybe embarrassingly even years I have wanted to tackle the gated albeit abandoned green space opposite my house full of brambles with rubbish inbetween ...

Quick litter pick on way to work

Litter pick by 'coil' art of canal art trail by bridge 3 This is a 'hotbed' for flytipping. I repeatedly report this to Council and CRT. The Council needs to start taking responsibility, even if it is...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick AM I planned to just pick the dumped stuff I saw at the side of the path mentioned in my Tues 26/02/19 PM event post. But of course I got carried away picking stuff that had gathered in th...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick - reeds/water pick AM Decided to do another pick focusing on what's in the water, specifically the litter gathered in and around the reeds and on the water surface - managed a very mucky ...

Litter pick on walk home from work

Litter pick - reeds/water pick PM Two litter picks in one day!!! This one was very frustrating and disheartening.. as i walked along the canal I spotted some over-enthusiastic (code for immature) magn...

Impromptu Litter Pick

Litter Pick The only good thing about finding a brand new plastic bag along your travels is there's no excuse not to pick litter as you see it! I spotted a makeshift bin someone had made with the four...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick (solo) on way to work I noticed over the past couple weeks a lot of rubbish has gathered in the reeds running alongside the towpath where ducks and moorhens have been nesting/living - plas...

Litter pick on way to work

Last litter pick of the year perhaps... Decided to do a litter pick as little and often seems to work really well for the stretch that I walk along. Picked up lots of strongbow cans including the card...

Litter pick on way to work

Day 2 of picking this week - I grabbed a bag from home and again just with my gloves began picking part way down the towpath and filled with all the bits of rubbish I had walked by the previous week ...

Litter pick on way to work

The towpath has been getting very messy lately and there have been lots of bits gathering in the water by the reeds. Instead of make my way with a litter picker (this is a lot of effort - carrying an...

Litter pick on way to work

Impromptu pick There was a partly wet and dirty empty blue plastic bag slightly blowing in the breeze on the towpath this morning. I thought I spotted the moorhens lingering around before they jumped...

Litter pick on way to work

Impromptu pick along the towpath The morning after the Plastic Patrol yesterday (Monday 6th August) - I cannot believe I still managed to find litter. It started with a plastic 4-can cover which led t...

Coventry Canal Plastic Patrol

The Canal and River Trust have organised an event: Coventry Canal Plastic Patrol Event: Monday 6th August 2018: 9.30-4.30 Please see the links below: https://www.plasticpatrol.co.uk/locations/coven...

Impromptu Litter Pick

Spotted around 10-15 sodden trodden on dirty bags for life on my way to work, quite close to the Canal Basin end today...I probably ought to have taken them to work/home and let them dry/cleaned them...

Impromptu Litter Pick

Saw a pile of plastic bags all in a heap - some were partially filled and some were completely empty! So I thought I would grab these as blackbirds and some other little birds were having around them...

Quick litter pick on way to work

Speedy pick on way to work with gloves (no picker) and a Bag for Life: 11.05-11.30am Did a quick litter pick on the way to work - not stopping for too long or lingering as I was only armed with my glo...

Litter pick on way to work

Pick 11am - 11.50am Filled one big blue IKEA bag today - plenty of rubbish...perhaps Community Payback has finished?? Emptied in litter bin away from towapth in Leicester row car park and informed Cou...

Litter pick on way to work

Friday pick! Let's do this...prepared with my gloves, trusted litter picker (it's short because I am!), ear muffs to keep me warm and a bag of birdseed for the little feathered angels I see along the ...

Litter pick on way to work

Got my litter picker and one blue plastic bag... Decided to just take out a bag and fill it but along the way I came along discarded bags so picked and filled them up too! See photo for the end pick.....

First litter pick of 2018!

Litter pick on way to work 11-11.30ish After having a week off with fever, I did my first litter pick of the new year. I was expecting lots of cans and potentially firework remnants from irresponsible...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter Pick Bridges 3-1 (yes in reverse order): 10.45-11.30am Spotted some more cans littered around the canal art sculpture by bridge 3 and other bits along the towpath recently so decided on a pick ...

Litter pick on way to work

Morning litter pick: 11-11.30am I wasn't expecting to do a litter pick but on my way in yesterday I noticed some inconsiderate folk had scattered their lager cans in front of the sculpture (often used...

Litter pick on way to work

Morning litter pick - 11-11.30am Hoping to pick up the two coats close to bridge 2 of Coventry Canal but ended up filling my trusty strong rubble bag from The Range (better than the supposedly 'extra ...

Litter pick on way to work

Another morning litter pick - 11-11.30am Picked up what looked like a student's notes and an almost entirely unused A4 lined notepad - what a waste! What are they learning?! Some abandoned spray cans ...

Litter pick on way to work

Litter pick 11-11.30am I didn't expect to collect much as the towpath has seemed quite clean since my big litter pick last month but my measley bag was filled to the rafters and just about made it to ...

First Litter Pick!

First Litter Pick! 5-5.30pm Bridges 1-3 This was a new experience which left me feeling quite disheartened with how much litter was collected and how inconsiderate people are dumping their rubbish eve...

Nearby Groups

These groups are near to you in case you want to contact them for advice, to offer them support or, for example, to share equipment with them.

Brewood Civic Society
We are the Brewood Civic Society and as part of the Best Kept Village competition and our villages benefit, we organise a rota for picking litter in the village and along the canal tow path. BCS members go out every day in the spring and summer to litter pick.
0
16 years
View
North Lanarkshire Dumpers
I am sick of going into the countryside and finding people have dumped there crap, ie Car Tyres, beds, car seats, cookers, and other crap. I would like to be able to stop this happening but I know that will be hard so I am happy to make it difficult for people.
0
5 years
View
Middlewich Clean Team
The Middlewich Clean Team was set up with the basic intention of keeping our town litter free. However we now do much more as we have an education programme working in all of our schools and pre-school groups and have carried out a number of environmental projects. We have a small committee and well over 100 members. Litter picking is undertaken by all members, either by joining a group litter pick or simply by keeping an area litter free. We have also worked with Government Departments on controlling ant-social behaviour and very recently, several of our members qualified as Community Crime Fighters and have been involved in the restorative justice system. We help set up other Clean Teams nationally and are the Mother Clean Team to some of the other organisations included on this site.
760
22 years
View
Kings Hill Litter Pickers
Looking to start this group for Kings Hill
0
6 years
View
Park Gate Pickers
Anybody can pick up litter, but nobody does yet everybody should. I decided to be that somebody that does
23
6 years
View
plpag ( peterhead litter picking action group)
to keep our town looking great to new commers to help inprove the towns peoples attitudes towards litter
48
13 years
View
Tiptree Litter Combers
We are a group of like minded volunteers who clear litter within the Tiptree village and surrounding lanes and woodlands on a regular basis.
1062
18 years
View
Walking/cycling
Walking group
0
3 years
View
clean Walgrave
field, hedges, woodlands surrounding the area
4
3 years
View
Stoke Primary School Coventry
We are a local authority primary school and are wanting to contribute to the community where litter is concerned.
0
13 years
View

Start a LitterAction group

Here at CleanupUK, we want to help you to take LitterAction! Wherever you live in the UK, forming your own community litter-picking group will help to keep your community safer, more friendly and free of litter. It’s lots of fun too. Why not muck in and join us?

Empower your group