PLASTIC and litter will be stopped from entering the sea thanks to a new River Clyde boom.
Plans for the boom were announced this morning to mark the United Nation’s World Oceans Day.
Glasgow City Council is discussing possible locations for the boom, but said it will be “below the weir and will not cross the deepest part of the river channel, which is used by boats”.
The boom will be made from steel mesh panels suspended on floats.
Fish and other wildlife will still be able to swim under or around it.
The project aims to reduce litter in the river and also stop debris being swept downstream to places like the “Arrochar litter sink”, where winds and tides deposit large amounts of rubbish.
Government agency Marine Scotland believes 62,000 items of litter from the River Clyde and the Irish Sea collect on the shore at Arrochar each year.
Locals have had to stop using the seaweed as fertiliser for their gardens because it has become too polluted with rubbish.
Councillor Angus Millar, Glasgow’s climate convener, said: “Marine litter damages the environment and can harm wildlife.
“Removing it from the Clyde using passive technology like a boom is an environmentally-friendly way to tackle the problem.
“The project will not only benefit Glasgow, local wildlife and migrating fish, it will also help reduce the levels of rubbish reaching destinations downstream – including the Arrochar foreshore.”
The city council is working with Marine Scotland, Peel Ports, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on the one-year pilot project.
Millar added: “The council supports Keep Scotland Beautiful’s ‘Upstream Battle’ campaign and if the boom is successful, it will become a permanent feature on the Clyde.
“Hopefully this project will spark a ripple effect and inspire other towns and villages along the Clyde to do something similar, further reducing the amount of litter which is washed downstream and the levels of microplastics in our waterways.”
Read more environmental news on Scottish Field‘s wildlife pages.
Plus, catch-up on more conservation stories in the July issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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