Five of us joined Peter Thorpe on his ‘rubbish walk’ on a Saturday in late November. Peter had prepared his event well. We were suitably equipped with litter picking tools, gloves and strong waste collection bags, and people wore high vis jackets and firm footwear.
We started from Alderman Canal in the heart of Ipswich, and worked our way along the waterway which was bustling with aquatic birds. It was no great surprise to find it contained car tyres, bike tyres and various unsavoury items, while plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles made up a big part of the litter we collected. More exotic findings were a pair of black boxer shorts and a red sports bra 🤓
Some participants were ambitious enough to climb down the steep and slippery river bank to gather more cans and bottles from there, carefully weighing up the risk of falling into the canal – an unpleasant thought to contemplate on a cold and breezy day – against our ambition to retrieve as much rubbish as possible from this surprisingly picturesque backwater near the Ipswich Town football ground.
After two hours we had enough and brought our rubbish to the nearby recycling centre where Peter had booked a slot.
Then it was off to warm up at the Arcade Tavern Cafe Bar which I can recommend for its coffees and spacious, but cosy interior.
A great event thanks to Peter’s efforts and organisation. Watch this space, there are more volunteering events planned in the New Year.