Chelmsford community comes together for river clean up

Over 65 volunteers gave their time on Saturday 28 June to help rid the River Chelmer of unwanted litter. 

The event was coordinated by Chelmsford City Council’s environmental sustainability team, as part of the Love Your Chelmsford programme. It saw residents and community groups join forces to reduce litter pollution and help keep the river healthy for everyone to enjoy. 

Chelmsford district is home to five beautiful rivers and two of these, the Can and the Chelmer, run through Chelmsford city centre. The rivers play a key part in supporting the local ecosystem and are an important wildlife habitat in an urban area. 

The latest clean-up effort focused on the section of the River Chelmer which runs past Riverside Leisure Centre, a high footfall area with a popular footpath and cycle way connecting the city centre to Chelmer Valley Local Nature Reserve. This is the first year the team have worked in this location, giving divers access to a new stretch of the riverbed to explore.

Cleaning up the River Chelmer

A warm day made for perfect conditions for a morning on the river. Volunteers from SUPsect Paddleboarders and Chelmsford Canoe Club took to the water to remove rubbish floating on the river surface. Meanwhile, divers from Chelmsford Scuba Diving Club pulled up shopping trolleys, a bicycle wheel, traffic cones, a pushchair and even a wine bucket from the riverbed. 

The divers and paddleboards made some interesting finds

On dry land, volunteers and members of Chelmsford Litter Wombles and Chelmsford Mildmay Rotary Club filled green sacks with rubbish including food packaging, drinks cans, clothing, a plastic football and an old pair of trainers which had been discarded on the riverbank. 

Everything that was collected during the river clean-up was sorted by the council's street care team and recycled where possible.

At the end of the session, volunteers enjoyed a drink and sweet treat at Riverside Café as a thank you for their efforts. 

Armed with litter pickers, volunteers cleared the area alongside the river

Thanking volunteers for their involvement, Councillor Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for a Greener Chelmsford said:

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“A heartfelt Thank You to each and every volunteer who gave their time, energy and care today. The two rivers that flow through the heart of Chelmsford are an incredible asset to our city centre and help make it an even more attractive place to call home, work in and visit. Any piece of litter that reaches the riverbank or the water is harmful, negatively impacting wildlife and the local environment. Ensuring we dispose of our rubbish responsibly is one small action we can all take that will have a big, positive impact on the health of our waterways, from source to sea.”

Cllr Rose Moore, Cabinet Member for a Greener Chelmsford

Speaking about the event, Councillor Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford said:

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"The annual river clean continues to be a wonderful community event, bringing people together to help keep our waterways free from litter. Events like these play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the detriment of litter and highlight the importance of disposing of rubbish in the correct way. There are over 500 public litter and recycling bins in the Chelmsford district so there's no excuse for rubbish to find its way into our rivers. We must all play a part in looking after our local environment."

Cllr Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford

From tables to trolleys, just a few of the large items pulled from the river during the clean up

If you are interested in river clean-up events and other opportunities to get involved across the Chelmsford district, visit the Love Your Chelmsford website to find out more and sign up to their monthly email newsletter.