On Tuesday 17th May, four members of the Printwaste team volunteered to support Life’s a Beach, in their mission to help eradicate single-use plastics from Britain’s beaches and waterways. The event along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, involved a 3 mile walk each way to clear as much waste from the pathways and waterway to ensure a better environment for people to experience the canal side, but also to make the environment safer for the animals that live there. Whilst some people walked, others hit the water on canoes and paddleboards, kindly donated by Adventure Hire Slimbridge to ensure as much of the area was cleaned as possible.
Specialising in the collection and management of waste, Printwaste were well-equipped to support the day’s event and set out three primary objectives:
- Provide water-resistant polythene bags for all volunteers
- Collect as much waste from the canals as possible – having fun doing so!
- Transport the material back to our depot to be weighed, sorted and treated (more on that below…)
The result?
All objectives were met and the team of volunteers rallied together to collect 15kg of waste over a 4-hour period, with the canal area looking much cleaner too. The waste, upon arrival back at site, was classified and deemed non-recyclable due to the high contamination levels. That meant the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable option was to turn all the waste into electricity through Printwaste’s waste-to-energy recovery process . In return, this would provide 9.375 kWh of electricity, enough to make 750 cups of tea or coffee.
To find out more about Life’s a Beach and the work they do please visit their website.