BERYL Bikes is teaming up with national environmental movement Planet Patrol to offer free cycling litter picking sessions next month.
Planet Patrol, which runs paddle boarding, cycling, yoga and canoeing litter picking sessions nationwide, has joined forces with the local bike rental service to tackle pollution hotspots in and around Bournemouth and Christchurch.
The two organisations are hosting two free cycling sessions, at 7pm on Wednesday, August 4, and two weeks later on August 18 at 9am, each followed by a litter pick.
Founder of Planet Patrol Lizzie Carr said: “Planet Patrol’s litter picking sessions have had a phenomenal response nationwide, and it’s incredible to see how many people are willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in to help the environment, so we’re thrilled to be partnering with Beryl Bikes to bring this to Christchurch.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the sessions, and all places must be reserved in advance via the Planet Patrol website.
Instead of making a payment to participate, participants pay a ‘nature tax’ by picking up litter and logging it in the Planet Patrol app.
Every piece collected is analysed by partner researchers at UK universities 'to uncover the trends and patterns, to hold polluters accountable and develop evidence-based solutions to stop the problem of single-use at source'.
Lizzie added: “The more volunteers who use Planet Patrol’s app to record the types and brands of litter they are finding in nature, the more evidence we gather to trace the problem back to the root causes and hold the major polluters accountable.
“Everyone involved, and every piece of litter logged, is valuable.
"To reach our target of one million pieces by the end of 2021 requires a big community effort, but I’m confident we can achieve it.”
When organised Pedal and Pick clean ups aren’t happening, people of Christchurch and Bournemouth can join the South West Clean Up Mission in the Planet Patrol app, competing against other UK regions to collect and log litter, to be crowned as Litter Pickers of the Year 2021.
Both Pedal and Pick sessions will start from the Beryl bays in Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth.
To book a space on the free clean up sessions, visit the Planet Patrol website.
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