Join a River Clean
While Blue Planet II shone a spotlight on the plastic in our oceans, the state of our rivers is no different.
In just under three hours, Thames21 volunteers collected 4,350 plastic bottles from a site in Rainham. And we removed more than 27,000 wet wipes in a few hours from the Thames foreshore near Hammersmith Bridge.
Enough is enough!
Join a river clean with us and you’ll not only make an immediate visual improvement to the environment, but be helping wildlife while getting a burst of that feel-good factor!
Visit our ‘What’s On’ calendar to join a clean up to remove litter or invasive species from smothering the natural flora and make our rivers a space for both people and wildlife to enjoy.
If you can’t find a clean-up you’d like to attend, consider reaching out to one of our accredited groups:
Thames21 Badged Groups are covered by Thames21’s Public Liability Insurance* and have completed our Leading a Waterway Clean Up training. These groups are open to new members:
Friends of Slough Canal – Slough Canal
Lower Regents Coalition – Regents Canal between Limehouse and Mile End
Friends of the Shuttle – River Shuttle in Bexley
Full list of other Badged Groups Cause Corps – Regents Canal at Camden Lock Friends of the Concrete Barges – Thames foreshore, Rainham Friends of Foots Cray Meadows – River Cray, Sidcup Friends of Osterley and Clitheroe Locks – Grand Union Canal, Ealing Friends of Manor Farm Nature Reserve – Norbury Brook, Croydon Friends of Rise Park – Rise Park, Romford Friends of Thornton Heath Rec – Norbury Brook, Croydon Greenwich Yacht Club – Thames foreshore in Greenwich Keep Welsh Harp Tidy – Welsh Harp, Brent and Barnet Maria Arceo/ThamesPlastic – various locations along the Tidal Thames Queen Mary University – Regents Canal between Mile End and Old Ford Lock Riz Boardshorts – Thames foreshore, Barnes and Hammersmith Royal Holloway Thames Improvement Team – Thames Path in Staines Stonebridge Lock Coalition – River Lea in Tottenham Team 19 – Small Profits Dock, Barnes Tidal Crane Association – River Crane in Twickenham Tideway – various locations across greater London Watford in the Water – River Colne in Watford and Bushey West London Hub – various locations on the Thames foreshore in West London *Subject to receipt of supporting paperwork