Environment / plastic waste
Boat made entirely of plastic tackling water pollution
A twelve-seat boat made almost entirely of plastic has set assail from Bristol Harbour, filled with local school children.
‘The Poly Roger’ set sail to find plastic in the river. Students and staff from Parson Street Primary School started their adventure at Temple Meads, collecting everything from plastic bottles to miniature slithers of plastic.
The boat transports lets communities experience ‘plastic fishing’, using fishing nets to catch plastic that has been washed away or thrown into the water and raise awareness of plastic thrown into the county’s waterways.
is needed now More than ever
On the arrival of the plastic boat at Temple Meads, the children were excited to show the gathered crowd the plastic they had collected on their journey.
Disembarking from the boat, they sorted the plastic into four separate piles.The seven school students all took part in the project and had very big beliefs on the environment and how it harms animals, saying: “When I was out on the boat, I found a tennis ball and a plastic bag. These are both bad for the environment and animals because they can chock on plastic.
“It is important to recycle because he fish and seagulls eat things in the water and it will make them have a bad belly.”
The students help to sort the plastic they collected
The Poly Roger, made of 99 per cent plastic, cleans up waterways while showing people first-hand the impact of plastic litter in the water has on the community, and is the third plastic ship created by environmental charity Hubbub and been built using funds collected from Starbucks’ 5p charge on drinks purchased in a paper cup across its 950 stores.
“We hope that this will raise awareness and change behaviour. Eventually, we would like to build more recycled plastic boats and offer plastic fishing trips in major cities across the UK,” said Hubbub’s co-founder and director Gavin Ellis.
Mayor Marvin Rees added: “The river Avon and harbour are at the heart of our city and play a special part in its daily life so it’s only right that we protect them. In our unique role as both a harbour authority and city council, we are pleased to support this project and help raise awareness of a global problem.
“We make every effort to keep the place looking shipshape thanks to the Harbourmaster and his crew, Clean Up Bristol Harbour and their volunteers, who all do a fantastic job of clearing litter from the water. A little bit of help in the form of the Poly Roger and volunteer litter pickers will be gratefully received”
The students were proud to help in the fight against plastic
To find out more, visit www.hubbub.org.uk/plastic-fishing-tour
Photos taken by Libby Hamilton.
Read more: ‘Let’s give plastic the finger’
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