Trash Free Trails Report Highlights Impact On Wildlife

by 15

Often the impact of litter – or rubbish, or pollution – on our trails and in our wild spaces is seen as an aesthetic threat. Something that offends our eyes and spoils our experience of the outdoors. All that remains true, but this year’s Trash Free Trails ‘State Of Our Trails’ report highlights the impact of our mess on animals, and asks for the government to introduce a deposit return scheme that could remove substantial amounts of pollution from our environment within a very short space of time.

Key stats from their report:

  • 33% of litter on UK trails would ‘disappear overnight’ with a working Deposit Return Scheme on drinks containers
  • Up to 9.2 million estimated items of litter on public rights of way in the UK, as of 2024 data analysis
  • Over 1/4 of recorded ‘animal interactions’ with litter end in death, according to Trash Free Trails
  • Over 280,000 items of litter surveyed from trails by local communities, weighing almost 5 tonnes

You’re invited to highlight this opportunity for improving our environment to your elected officials. While you’re at it, you might also like to show support for the banning of disposable vapes – another policy which Trash Free Trails is supporting.

Here’s the official PR – be warned, a couple of the images are quite unpleasant viewing (though significantly more unpleasant for the animals involved):

A new Report from Trash Free Trails hails a ‘silent massacre’ of rodents, insects and keystone species from interaction with littered drinks containers.

THE REPORT

The State of Our Trails Report, supported by Bosch eBike Systems and Bangor University, makes its return this year with a renewed warning cry on behalf of UK trails, this time highlighting the ecological impact of litter on flora and fauna.

The Report, produced annually by the not-for-profit Trash Free Trails, is a ‘first of its kind study into the causes, prevalence, composition and impacts of single-use pollution on recreational trail ecosystems’. (TFT, 2023) Garnering widespread exposure in 2023, the Report now estimates up to 9.2 million items of single-use pollution are on UK Public Rights of Way, with a third of items surveyed showing signs of interaction from animals and insects.

Powered by citizen science, the Report draws together submissions from over 3,000 volunteers from 2020 to October 2024, forging one of the most comprehensive pictures of terrestrial pollution to date. With a significant drive towards marine conservation in recent years, terrestrial ecosystem litter has been largely left to the wayside, with less than 10 papers published on the subject in recent years.

Credit – Joby Newson

ANIMAL DEATH COULD BE INHIBITED WITH A DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME (DRS)

Notable in this year’s Report is the focus on the UK’s upcoming Deposit Return Scheme. Trash Free Trails identify drinks containers as showing high levels of interaction with animals, including death. Examples from a clean in September of the trails on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) show the remains of keystone species which have become trapped inside glass bottles and cans. Trash Free Trails are highlighting a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) on drinks containers as a crucial piece of legislation which could save thousands of animals from the same tragic fate.

A DRS, which would see a small deposit added to aluminium cans and plastic drinks bottles has been evidenced to reduce litter by as much as 85% after introduction (Reloop, 2021). The Scheme has been delayed in the UK until 2027, with Wales the only country set to include glass. Trash Free Trails believe a working DRS could eradicate upwards of a third of litter on UK trails.

‘European case studies show a Deposit Return Scheme can eradicate an entire category of litter from our trails overnight,’ says Trash Free Trails CEO Dom Ferris. ‘Though a mouse might seem insignificant, but in many examples collected by our volunteers the mouse is a species that is vital to the stability of the ecosystem. A DRS could not only save a life, but protect and enhance the biodiversity of our trails across the UK for generations.’

Credit – Pete Scullion

LITTER PICKING SHOWN TO SUPPORT NATURE CONNECTEDNESS IN PARTICIPANTS

Particularly unique to the State of Our Trails Report is surveying of its volunteers to identify the ‘human cost’ of litter. Data suggests the presence of litter reduces enjoyment of a recreational trail by almost half, while 8 in 10 volunteers who undertake trail clean activities will experience an increase in their sense of nature connectedness.

With the UK performing as the lowest country in Europe for levels of nature connection in the population, Trash Free Trails are keen to highlight that the problem of litter also presents a powerful opportunity to tackle both issues – pollution and disconnection.

Credit – Joby Newson

‘We know now more than ever before how important time in the outdoors is for our wellbeing,’ continues Dom Ferris, ‘but to be able to remove pollution from a place you love and experience the double affect of improved wellbeing on both yourself and the ecosystem? That’s a no brainer really.’

Read the State of Our Trails Report here.

Singletrack Weekly Word

Sports Newsletter of the Year finalist at the Publisher Newsletter Awards 2024. Find out why our newsletter is different and give it a go.

Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah

Home Forums Trash Free Trails Report Highlights Impact On Wildlife

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Trash Free Trails Report Highlights Impact On Wildlife
  • RustyNissanPrairie
    Full Member

    I often wonder but have never googled – what impact does takeaway processed fast food have on wildlife?

    The crows/pigeons/rats/urban foxes etc that clear up after humans – is their lifespan shortened by eating discarded McDonald’s/kebabs/pavement pizza etc? Let alone being killed by discarded packaging litter as per TRT’s report.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Humans are absolute sh*ts sometimes.

    I am even more determined to carry on picking up litter when I am out and about.

    1
    chrismac
    Full Member

    I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this report is. We all know dropping litter is bad for the environment as well as an eyesore.  We don’t need a report to tell us. That then begs the question who is the reported aimed at and will it have any impact on that target audience. I suspect very little at best.

    5
    DickBarton
    Full Member

    I’m the opposite, I reckon stuff like this is worth reporting as I’m pretty sure a lot of people just don’t think about it. A group of young riders in the summer were at a local spot and started getting ready to leave and left all their litter lying around. I asked them to pick it up and take it home with them and 2 of the kids asked why as they are doing the job of the cleaners. The rest of their friends asked them what cleaner sand they were convinced there were people who went through the woods during the night and collected all the rubbish and cleared it away! Of the 7 kids, 2 had this weird thought, 1 admitted to just being lazy and not clearing any rubbish away and the other 4 collected it all and got it in a bag and 1 of them carried it out the woods.

    The outdoors is filled with far more ignorant people these days and any education that helps point out issues is a good thing.

    munrobiker
    Free Member

     That then begs the question who is the reported aimed at and will it have any impact on that target audience. I suspect very little at best.

    Blimey, can’t believe I’m agreeing with you twice in a week but I concur. Trash Free Trails is a bunch of middle class outdoor enthusiasts who want people to stop dropping litter who are targeting all their work at middle class outdoor enthusiasts who know dropping litter is bad and probably don’t do it on websites targeted at the same audience rather than targeting all classes of more casual outdoor users with more widespread campaigns.

    It’s all very sweet and well intentioned, but whoever’s in charge of their marketing and outreach really needs to change how they do it or their organisation is pointless. Even some posters in honeypot site car parks with pictures of animals dying in crisp packets would help.

    kayak23
    Full Member

    I’m the opposite, I reckon stuff like this is worth reporting as I’m pretty sure a lot of people just don’t think about it.

    Also, getting stats for what type of litter it is and where it is mostly coming from will help a lot with targeting organisations and consumers of specific types of litter potentially.

    I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this report is. We all know dropping litter is bad for the environment

    I’m really not sure we ‘all’ know that sadly. A lot of people do actually need telling what many others can work out for themselves pretty easily.

    Of course you can’t do much about the dilligafs.

    chrismac
    Full Member

    I’m really not sure we ‘all’ know that sadly. A lot of people do actually need telling what many others can work out for themselves pretty easily.

    And

    I’m the opposite, I reckon stuff like this is worth reporting as I’m pretty sure a lot of people just don’t think about it

    None of whom will even know this report exists, let alone read it and change their behaviour as a result.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Ye of little faith (although I’m not disagreeing with you on it)…I’d hope this will be farmed out to everywhere so that more people see it and will start to act accordingly. Agree that having it posted here is likely to have less of an impact, but hopefully this is just one of a large number of places this is getting mentioned.

    I’ve seen a change with the kids I coach – none would proactively throw litter away, but many wouldn’t do a quick check to make sure nothing had been left. Now, they all seem to be very quick to let the person know if a wrapper has fallen out a pocket or not been put back in a bag. Change does happen, but it needs to be proactively encouraged for it to then become the norm.

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    Where else have you seen Trash Free Trails stuff mentioned? I don’t get it fed to me in my social media adverts, I don’t see it out on the trails, I haven’t seen it on general news websites. I’ve seen it here and in a bike shop. I don’t think they’re spreading the message far and wide.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    I don’t do much social media but I’ve seen it here and on my limited Facebook feed (and other than those 2 sites, I visit BBC news daily, but not seen anything there).

    I’m also local to a few TFT spots that get used for trail clearing and there is stuff round these spots.

    Some of the kids I coach have TFT stickers on their bikes.

    I probably have more generic exposure to TFT due to my location, but they do good stuff, so worth having a read and sharing.

    stealthcat
    Full Member

    Last year they had a report picked up by the Guardian about single use plastic in the environment.

    I just found it interesting that their focus switched from all litter to just single use plastic for that report. Nothing to do with Red Bull giving them a load of cash…

    Before Red Bull became a strategic partner, Red Bull cans were listed as one of the most common items they found. Then it was all about the plastic and Lucozade bottles were top of the list.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Last report thing I saw it was lucozade, something else and red bull cans…so it seems to still be getting reported.

    1
    stwhannah
    Full Member

    To answer some of the points above:

    TFT did develop the Trash Mob Academy – definitely not a middle class audience or project! It’s a free to use and adaptable curriculum that can be applied to a variety of settings: https://www.trashfreetrails.org/post/welcome-to-the-trashmob-academy

    They also worked up an event scheme, to encourage event organisers to limit waste at source. I think that’s been quite effective at introducing things like water points (so you don’t end up with loads of plastic water bottles) at events. They had a spot in the Hardline broadcast last year I think – surely pretty good for reaching a broader audience?

    https://www.trashfreetrails.org/tft-approved#:~:text=TFT%20Approved%20is%20a%20completely,in%20sustainable%20outdoor%20race%20events.

    If you’re interested in challenging then (in my experience they’re quite open to it) or finding out more, they’ve got a summit in London next month you can go to: https://www.trashfreetrails.org/event-details/our-trails-gathering-1

    belugabob
    Free Member

    I’m really not sure we ‘all’ know that sadly. A lot of people do actually need telling what many others can work out for themselves pretty easily.

    I’ve often thought that rules are there mostly for the folks who can’t work things out for themselves – unfortunately those are the folks who either still don’t get it, when it’s explained to them, or take great umbrage at being asked to behave considerately.

    It’s all rather sad, TBH.

    Dave
    Free Member

    keystone mammal species such as voles, mice and shrews. Two notable instances involved glass bottles, with volunteers in Eryri (Snowdonia) finding an endangered bank vole inside a Peroni Beer bottle in Beddgelert Forest

    Bank Voles aren’t endangered. They’re a common and widespread species.

    That’s such a basic mistake.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.