Bristol Harbour Cleanup Group Marks 10 Years — SkimNews
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- Clean Up Bristol Harbour was founded in September 2016 by Chloe Juyon after she noticed rubbish floating around her boat while coxing on the River Avon at high tide, growing from just five people at the first clean-up to a decade of operations.
- Between 2021 and 2023, 236 volunteers removed more than 880kg (1,940lb) of waste from Bristol Harbour, with almost 390kg (859lb) sent for recycling.
- Unusual finds over the decade include a Nintendo Switch, an inflatable doll, a message in a bottle containing a note in Spanish, Nespresso capsules, clothing still in packaging, and a Marathon-branded chocolate wrapper (the UK name for Snickers until 1990).
- The project has been taken on by All Aboard Watersports, which has launched a Crowdfunder seeking an initial £5,000 as the group's current funding comes to an end.
- Charley Peak-Payne of All Aboard Watersports said the harbour water is now considerably cleaner, noting they now run swimming events there that would have been impossible a decade ago due to pollution.
- The group is marking its 10th anniversary with a self-guided community litter pick from 10:00 to 12:00 BST for World Cleanup Day, open to the public on foot or by their own craft.
Why it matters: The group's uncertain funding threatens a decade of measurable progress — 880kg of waste removed and visibly cleaner water that now supports harbour swimming events. Without the £5,000 crowdfunding target being met, regular water-based removal of rubbish that 'simply can't be reached from the harbourside' could halt, risking renewed plastic accumulation in Bristol Harbour.
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