Bouncy castle, sofa and shopping trolleys removed as River Gwenfro gets volunteer ‘Beach Clean’

Volunteers from local McDonald’s restaurants recently came together to clean up the banks of the River Gwenfro in Wrexham as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s All Wales Beach Clean.

Eight volunteers from the McDonald’s in Wrexham and Whitchurch joined forces to clear 17 bags of litter from around the river – that also saw three shopping trolleys, a sofa, pram and a bouncy castle were among the larger items collected.

Keep Wales Tidy say the issue of marine litter isn’t just relevant to coastal communities – with 80% is from land-based sources – so targeting watercourses has been a part of the national campaign.

More than 200 events are taking place across the country for the All Wales Beach Clean, with community groups, schools and businesses joining the two weeks of action.

McDonald’s franchisee Stewart Williams, who owns operates two McDonald’s in Wrexham, said: “I’m thrilled that McDonald’s is lending its support to this initiative. As a business we’re committed to working to reduce litter and waste in our local communities, including the beaches we know and love. This year McDonald’s will also be phasing out the use of plastic straws in our restaurants, using paper straws instead. These paper straws will be sourced from two suppliers, one of which is based in Wales.”

Keep Wales Tidy say litter poses a growing threat to our aquatic and coastal environment. Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year, equivalent to dumping one bin lorry of plastic per minute into the world’s oceans.

Shane Hughes, Project Officer for Wrexham said: “Throughout the campaign, it’s been great to see so many people from Wrexham joining forces and getting involved in clean up events.

“It’s vital that everyone understands how litter from land ends up in our rivers and help tackle this problem together.”

The All Wales Beach Clean is being supported by McDonald’s, with volunteers from restaurants up and down the country planning on giving up their time to clean up their local beach – or river, as in our case in Wrexham.

The campaign has also received funding via the Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF) supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

For more information and to register for the All Wales Beach Clean, visit www.keepwalestidy.cymru