On Saturday 18th March, the Great Avon Litter Pick took place. In the Keynsham area, around fifty volunteers from the Keynsham Wombles were out and about for around two hours picking up litter. Particular attention was paid to the area down by the Avon where the floods back in January had washed a lot of rubbish onto the land either side of the river.

We walked past the area around The Lock Keeper pub after the litter pick had taken place and the difference was immediately noticeable. It was a truly great effort from the local community. Let’s hope the area now stays clear of litter and fly tipping!

Obviously with this being a land based litter pick, the rubbish that was left festooning the trees and bushes right by the Avon could not be picked. That requires the use of boats and people well versed in safety procedures to undertake what is a potentially risky task. We have heard reports of people in the boating community doing river borne litter picks where they can further upstream towards Bath. We and everyone who cares about the Avon salute their efforts.

A short while ago, we put up this post: Time to stop and think? 14.3.23. It’s great that volunteers are getting the job done but…in an ideal world, they shouldn’t have to be giving up time at the weekend to do this.

We need to be asking why we as a society create so much waste in the first place. That involves some pretty deep thinking, not just about the way we live but also, about an economic and political system that is based on unsustainable growth. The rubbish we generate is a visible sign of a deeply flawed system that ultimately has to be replaced with something more sane and genuinely sustainable.