Our first river clean up was in Deventer, where Meadow was kind enough to host us.
In total we collected over 2300 items of litter. This area is definitely a great recreational area for people.
We collected over 150 metal crown caps, over 35 plastic bottles, 15 plastic straws, over 65 pieces of candy/chips wrappings, 48 cans and over 1350 cigarette butts.
Did you know:
Cigarette butts may look small, but they have a big impact on marine life and nature. When tossed on the ground, they often wash into waterways and break down into microplastics loaded with toxic chemicals like nicotine, arsenic, and heavy metals. Marine animal such as fish, birds, and turtle, can mistake these butts for food, leading to poisoning, digestive blockages, or even death.
The chemicals that leach from cigarette filters also contaminate soil and water, harming plants and disrupting delicate ecosystems.
As one of the most common forms of litter worldwide, cigarette butts quietly but significantly degrade natural environments and threaten wildlife health.
