Some of the weirdest items dumped into Manchester’s canals this year have been revealed after volunteers recovered 300 bags of waste.
In all, the 200-strong ‘army’ of volunteers from Sea Life Manchester, have carried out 10 canal clean-ups in 2022. They have recovered nearly 600kg of waste.
The 588.9kg of rubbish included some weird items, too. Volunteers have uncovered airport luggage, a mattress, ladders, and even a full set of metal teapots.
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That’s in addition to the 17 traffic cones thrown into Rochdale Canal by Deansgate Locks which the Manchester Evening News spotted back in September. The Canal and Rivers Trust says it costs roughly £1 million per year to tidy up fly-tips in its waterways — money which ‘could be spent on improving wildlife habitats and ensuring the waterways are navigable for boaters’, it adds.
Now, bosses at Sea Life Manchester say they are going to continue with the clean-ups in 2023. Jenn McDonough, General Manager, said: “We are constantly committed to conserving our waters, whether that be through our beach cleans or in this instance, our canal clean-ups.
“Through these conservation efforts, we are creating a healthier environment for marine life, while also encouraging others to think harder about the consequences of cluttering our waterbodies.
“Our Manchester clean-ups have been a great success in 2022, which is testament to the hard work carried out by the team. We’re looking forward to starting up once again in the new year and we hope to see plenty of local volunteers coming down to help us in our conservation efforts.”
You can report fly tipping in a waterway to the Canal and Rivers Trust online and get involved with Sea Life’s clean-ups on its website.
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