An ambitious clean-up of the Leeds-Liverpool canal involving hundreds of people on paddleboards and canoes will start in West Leeds.
The ‘Asda Big Canal Clean-Up’ is a week-long initiative (2-6 September) covering a 10-mile stretch of Leeds waterways which aims to tackle problems with plastic pollution.
Starting at Newlay Locks on Monday 2nd September and finishing at Thwaites Mills on Friday 6thSeptember, the clean-up will take place along both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation.
Hundreds of Asda colleagues will take to the water on paddleboards, canoes and boats, to collect plastic and rubbish littered on the water and along the banks.
Sean McGinley, Yorkshire & North East director at Canal & River Trust said:
“Canal & River Trust is on a mission to eradicate plastics from our vast network of canals and rivers – helping us all to live in better, more beautiful neighbourhoods, whilst tackling a global issue, and making life better by water.“We’re really excited to be partnering with Asda to realise this ambitious project to help look after our canals, as beautiful, inspiring places for people to enjoy.”
Chris Brown, Asda’s Senior Director for Sustainable Business, said:
“As a proud Leeds-based company, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the waterways in our city, free from litter. We’re committed to tackling plastic waste in our own operations, but also have a rolling programme of litter picks in communities across the UK to remove plastic and other litter from our local environments.”
Find out about the Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge here.