'Preventing Plastic Pollution in the Rother' project appeals for litter pickers to clean up Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Rother residents have been called upon to help litter-pick at the project’s series of events, with the first taking place at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on Friday, November 18.

Strandliners, a local community interest company, is using citizen science and community engagement to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the environment.

The project, titled ‘Preventing Plastic Pollution in the Rother’, is supported by The Rivers Trust, Sea-Changers, Rother District Council and local donors.

It has been described as the first of its kind in the UK, recording environmental plastic pollution across river catchments.

The project aims to find strategies to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment, by identifying and recording the litter, rather than just picking, bagging and binning it.

The organisation is looking for ‘anyone fed up with plastic pollution near local waterways’ to join in by attending talks, picking litter and adding discoveries to a catchment-wide database.

Andy Dinsdale, founder of Strandliners, said: “The more we record what the pollution is, the better chance we have of reducing it at source.

"Effectively we are creating a data-rich picture of environmental plastic pollution around us.

"Amazingly, the work is fun and addictive, as well as adding a climate change perspective to everyone’s litter picking.”

To register to take part in an event, email: [email protected].

For more information, visit the organisation’s website: www.strandliners.org.