New scheme launched to clean up the Mersey estuary with the help of local schools

The Plastic Resolution Project starting this summer aims to work with local schools and community groups in Halton to address the problem of plastic waste pollution on the natural environment.

The project is led by the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust (MGET) – the innovative charity set up as part of the Mersey Gateway Project to protect, improve and conserve the natural environment in the Mersey Estuary – and will take place over 12 months.

Over the course of the project the MGET will outreach to local schools to offer talks about plastic waste and environmental protection and will plan ‘litter picking’ events to collect plastics from the Mersey saltmarshes.

Paul Oldfield, Environment and Biodiversity Manager at the MGET said, “Plastics are a big problem when it comes to environmental pollution. A major cause of this is littering and mismanaged plastic waste. Plastic bottles and food packaging is often washed into our rivers and travel downstream into our oceans. Some of it is deposited on the saltmarsh by the tides. Without cleaning the saltmarshes, more and more plastics will accumulate and pollute the local environment.

It is key to ensure that local people, particularly the younger generation understand the importance of caring for the local landscape. Through education about the pathways of plastics from consumer to our oceans, we can look to trigger positive behavioural changes that could reduce littering in the future.”

Yousuf Shaikh, Chairman of the MGET said, “The MGET is focussed on ensuring that the natural environment around the Mersey estuary can flourish now, and in the future.

While the roots of the MGET lie with environmental preservation during the Mersey Gateway Project construction, this project is one of many the MGET are working on to expand across the 1600 hectare area of the Upper Mersey Estuary running all the way from the Mersey Gateway Bridge up river as far as Warrington. With projects like this one, we can make an impact beyond the boundaries of the Upper Mersey Estuary and set an example for the wider region.”

If you are a local school or community group and want to find out more about how you can get involved, get in touch with the MGET on environmentaltrust@merseygateway.co.uk.