Plastic Blitz - Saturday 27th May to Sunday 11th June 2023

The Plasticblitz is an annual citizen science-led event that aims to engage as many community groups and Environment Agency teams as possible with taking part in a simultaneous litter pick and data collection activity around their local river. The data collected on categorised waste feeds into the EU Preventing Plastic Pollution project. Last year, over 460 individuals contributed to collecting 437 bin bags of waste and clearing 45.2km of riverbank. So, the challenge is on for the 2023 Plasticblitz to improve upon this!

Please note, groups will have to have their own public liability insurance to take part or fall under a wider organisation (e.g., Rotary, RAG) that can provide such insurance but where possible, we try our best to link up uninsured groups to insured groups/events.

The Plasticblitz has grown in numbers year on year, starting as a catchment-based trial before expanding to cover the Thames Basin and as a first for the Plasticblitz, it is now extending across the UK! This year we are aiming to be bigger and better than ever! To achieve this, we are looking to expand our network of those interested in participating in the Plasticblitz and better link up with fellow organisations linked to similar interests. If this is of interest or you have any queries, please contact Sarah Thornley for more details (sarah.thornley@thames21.org.uk).

There’s also more information on the Plasticblitz 2022 event page and the sign-up form for this year is now live!