Mersey Rivers Trust is working in partnership with Thames21 to deliver the Plastic Free Mersey project. The Plastic Free Mersey project is leading the charge in combatting plastic pollution in the River Mersey and its tributaries in north-western England. This flagship collaborative initiative brings together a diverse coalition of environmental NGOs, plastics industry businesses, waste management organisations, academics, and local communities to address one of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges. Together, we’re striving to identify and implement lasting solutions to reduce plastic waste that will not only improve the Mersey catchment but also serve as a model for rivers in the UK and around the world.

“Plastic pollution continues to place pressure on the Mersey and its tributaries,” said a spokesperson for Mersey Rivers Trust. “Through Plastic Free Mersey, we are working with partners and communities to better understand where plastic is coming from and take practical action to prevent it entering our waterways.”

Tackling Plastic Pollution at Catchment Scale

Plastic pollution is one of the most persistent threats facing rivers, estuaries, and coastal environments. From single-use packaging to industrial pellets and wet wipes, plastics enter waterways through drains, surface water runoff, and littering, where they fragment into microplastics that are almost impossible to remove. The origins of plastic pollution in the River Mersey date back to their introduction in England at the turn of the 20th century, but the scale of pollution has increased over time, particularly since the 1970s with the expansion of single-use plastics for consumer products. We now have a persistent plastic pollution problem in most of our rivers. Contributing factors include littering, overflowing waste bins, fly-tipping, and sewer overflows, all of which regularly introduce plastics into the Mersey catchment rivers.

The impact of macroplastic pollution is twofold. First, it directly harms aquatic wildlife, causing injury through, for example, entanglement and ingestion. Second, plastics break down and degrade over time into microplastics, which are harmful to both wildlife and human health. The full extent of the threat posed by microplastics (and the even smaller nanoplastics) is still under investigation, but it is clear that action must be taken to reduce plastic waste in our rivers by following the prevention and precautionary principles.

The Plastic Free Mersey project employs a catchment-based approach, acknowledging that sustainable and long-term pollution reduction is best achieved by addressing sources upstream, prior to pollutants entering river systems and coastal waters. By working across communities, businesses, local authorities, and environmental organisations, the project aims to reduce plastic use, improve waste management, and change behaviours across the Mersey catchment.

Learning from Thames21’s Proven Approach

Thames21 brings extensive experience in delivering successful plastic reduction programmes across the Thames catchment, including community engagement, citizen science, and partnerships with local councils and businesses. Through this collaboration, Mersey Rivers Trust is adapting proven tools and methodologies to the unique social, industrial, and environmental context of the Mersey.

This partnership allows both organisations to:

• Share best practice on plastic reduction and river restoration
• Develop consistent, evidence-based approaches to monitoring plastic pollution
• Strengthen community-led action and stewardship
• Influence policy and decision-making using robust data and lived experience

Our Shared Aims

At the core of the Plastic Free Mersey project are several clear, collective aims:

• Achieve significant reductions in plastic litter and waste in and around the River Mersey and its tributaries.
• Characterise and quantify litter on riverbanks through citizen science surveys, helping us to understand the extent of the problem.
• Improve our understanding of the sources of plastic waste and develop practical, effective solutions to reduce pollution.
• Establish a collaborative model that can be replicated in other river systems across the globe.

Community Action at the Heart of the Project

Local communities are central to Plastic Free Mersey. The project supports volunteers, schools, and community groups to take action through:

• River and shoreline clean-ups that also collect data on plastic sources
• Citizen science surveys to identify pollution hotspots
• Educational workshops on plastic pollution and sustainable alternatives
• Campaigns encouraging plastic-free choices at home, work, and in public spaces

By empowering people to understand where plastic pollution comes from and how it can be prevented, the project helps build long-term stewardship of the Mersey and its tributaries.

Working with Businesses and Local Authorities

Plastic Free Mersey also works closely with businesses and local authorities to reduce plastic at source. This includes supporting organisations to:

• Identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics
• Improve waste segregation and recycling practices
• Trial innovative alternatives and refill schemes
• Embed plastic reduction into policies and procurement

Collaborative action at this level is essential to achieving lasting reductions in plastic pollution across the catchment.

A Cleaner, Healthier Mersey

Through the Plastic Free Mersey project, Mersey Rivers Trust and Thames21 are working together to address plastic pollution in a coordinated and evidence-led way. A methodology was created to qualitatively measure macroplastics and was implemented in November 2021. Trained volunteers have been working hard to gather vital data using this methodology to provide a baseline dataset and evidence of plastic pollution in our waterways. These site assessments include Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 surveys. Tier 1 surveys are qualitative assessments of site locations to identify areas that can be monitored safely and provide an indication of ‘green’, ‘yellow’, ‘amber’, and ‘red’ levels of litter. This then leads on to Tier 2 and Tier 3 surveys wherein the litter is categorised into 28 different types by trained volunteers, with the majority of the categories being plastic waste. Tier 2 surveys follow a 5- minute walking route upon an agreed stretch of inaccessible river channel (e.g. due to mudflats or steep sides) wherein volunteers record the identity and quantity of litter items they see on either side of the walking path. In Tier 3 surveys, volunteers categorise and remove litter items in two separate 60m2 areas on riverbanks. In Tier 2 and Tier 3, alongside recording the litter data, volunteers provide information on environmental factors, such as weather conditions, estimated river flow and width, and potential litter sources like sewer overflows, to better understand the origins of the plastic pollution.

Plastic Free Mersey focuses not only on removing litter, but on understanding sources of pollution, influencing behaviour and supporting systemic change across the catchment. From November 2021 to January 2025 almost 10,000 litter items have been removed from the River Mersey and its tributaries by our 32 active volunteers. Here are some key findings from the project so far:

A global model for change

The Plastic Free Mersey project is not only about cleaning up the River Mersey; it is about creating a model of cross-sectoral collaboration and change that can be replicated in other rivers and communities in the UK and around the world. By demonstrating the power of citizen science, cross-sector partnerships, and evidence-based decision-making, we have been inspiring local residents and stakeholders to seriously tackle plastic pollution.

By collaborating with our partners RECOUP, British Plastics Federation, INEOS/INOVYN, LyondellBasell and Peel NRE, we have learnt their industry challenges, and they have learnt our NGOs’ challenges towards our respective goals. The project team has benefited from articulate discussions around the plastic waste hierarchy, different types of recycling (e.g. mechanical and chemical), and the circular economy we can all strive for. Although plastics are a very useful and versatile material, their ubiquitous presence as waste in the natural environment has become unsustainable at the global scale.

The challenge of plastic pollution may seem daunting, but with the efforts of passionate volunteers, community organisations, and experts working together, we are proving that real change is possible. A total of 187 volunteers participated in 18 litter picks in 2021-2024 and have removed ~3 tonnes of litter from riverbanks alongside the removal of items from our citizen scientists.

“Reducing plastic pollution is essential for improving water quality and protecting wildlife,” the Mersey Rivers Trust spokesperson added. “Plastic Free Mersey supports long-term change by bringing people together, influencing decision-making and helping to prevent pollution before it reaches our rivers.”

We remain committed to continuing the Plastic Free Mersey project and tackling plastic litter through action and advocacy.

To find out more about Plastic Free Mersey, take part in project activities or work with us as a partner, please contact Mersey Rivers Trust or follow our updates online.