Steel boom to catch plastic and litter pollution along Glasgow's River Clyde

Glasgow City Council will remove, weigh and analyse the rubbish caught in the device.

Author: Callum McQuadePublished 8th Jun 2022

A steel boom will be built along the River Clyde in Glasgow to catch plastic and litter pollution before it heads downstream.

Glasgow City Council will then remove, weigh and analyse litter caught in the device in a bid to identify the most common types of litter in the river.

It is working with SEPA, Peel Ports and Marine Scotland as part of a one year pilot project to tackle marine pollution.

The structure won't affect fish or other marine wildlife which will be able to swim under or around it.

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 project aims to reduce litter in the river and also stop it being swept downstream to places like the Arrochar Litter Sink - a spot where winds and tides deliver large amounts of rubbish - including litter from the Clyde.

Rubbish dropped on the ground by the public can get blown into the river by the wind which contaminates seas and beaches.

Hear all the latest news from across Glasgow and the West on the hour, every hour, at Clyde 1. Listen on FM, via our Radio Clyde app, on your DAB radio, online at Clyde1.com, or say ‘Play Clyde 1’ on your Smart Speaker.