A COMMUNITY group who litter pick along Bridgwater & Taunton Canal will be linking with a national countryside charity to provide evidence to convince the Government to adopt a bottle deposit return system.

Rage Against Rubbish will be backing the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) Green Clean initiative on its canal litter pick from the YMCA in Bridgwater on Saturday, September 28.

Sarah Johnstone, who lives in Bridgwater and is part of the Rage Against Rubbish team, explained: “We’re excited to be linking up with CPRE for this campaign as we are supporters for the UK to have a bottle deposit return system.

“At our previous litter picks plastic bottles, cans and glass bottles make up the majority of the litter we collect along the canal. A bottle deposit return system would certainly boost recycling rates and help eradicate litter of this kind in our countryside.

“After our litter pick on Saturday, September 28 we’ll be counting all the bottles and cans collected with the help of the Inland Waterway Association (IWA) Somerset Volunteers to provide evidence to put pressure on the Government that is it vital we have a deposit return system.

“The small financial incentive from the scheme will mean we see less of this kind of rubbish in our green spaces. It has worked in other countries, so why not here?”

The Inland Waterway Association (IWA) Somerset Volunteers support Rage Against Rubbish with its litter picks by supplying volunteers and a flat work boat with on-board rubbish, storage containers.

The IWA volunteers also dispose of the rubbish removed from the canal and towpath.