Polythene bags
At the last meeting of the City Water Safety Working Group, George Parsonage our Riverman requested that it be Minuted that the practice of issuing fewer poly bags in shops was having a visual difference on the River Clyde.
A few years ago the River Clyde surfaces and banking were often blue, red, yellow, white, the colours of poly bags. So many of these items were thrown into our river that they were able to congregate in islands of colour and bedeck the banking after high tide. Much wildlife suffered among the poly bag mass of detritus.
However in the past year there has been a transformation. The poly bag epidemic seems to have met its antibiotic. Shops and supermarkets across the country prescribed that they were no longer just handing out bags. Almost overnight the difference was amazing, it had to be seen, or in the case of the poly bags, not to be seen.
Everyone involved deserves a big pat on the back from the smallest to the largest retailer.
It is a pity that it took this drastic step to remedy a situation that may not have arisen if people would just use the waste paper bins—but this too is now being dealt with by our Litter Wardens.
If we could only now rid our River of plastic bottles and stop persons throwing tyres etc into the water.
Litter louts and fly tippers are an enemy we should, we can and we must defeat.
Anyway, on the Clyde through Glasgow the difference is there to be seen
When we are out on the River and we see a flash of blue, we know that it is more likely to be a Kingfisher than a poly bag.
Congratulations from the Glasgow Humane Society and the City Water Safety Working Group to all who are making our Clyde a cleaner place.
Marine/River Safety Consultants
Ob Civem Cervatum
"Preventing Accidents.....Saving Lives"
www.glasgowhumanesociety.com
a charity that’s sole aim is the preservation of human life in and around the waterways of Glasgow