Taff Tidy project made the Guinness world record of most volunteers at a river cleanup. Why do Welsh rivers need attention now more than ever?
It was a busy Friday at Cardiff Bay, the enthusiasm was quite high. Hundreds of people had gathered to be a part of an historic event. Taff Tidy Project was attempting to break the Guinness World Record for most participants in a river clean-up.
As the horn blew off in the presence of the adjudicator, all the volunteers went off in their assigned areas to pick up every little bit of trash from the banks of river Taff. Over a hundred bags of trash had been collected by the end of their time. Few hours later, it broke the world record which was previously held by sanitation workers at River Ganga in February 2025.
“I hope this will inspire lots of people to get involved and pick up a little bit of litter,” says Viv Burfitt, a volunteer litter picker from Llanishen. Viv says that plastic pollution is a massive problem and events like this help to prevent the plastic from reaching the oceans.
Elin Burgess, project officer for Keep Wales Tidy says that keeping streets and riversides clean is very important in preventing further river contamination. “So much of the litter in the actual waterways comes from land. We have a responsibility to stop it from blowing into the water.” Keep Wales Tidy is the charity committed to working with local communities across Wales for protection of environment.
More than half of the rivers in Wales are classified as moderate or bad in condition, according to a report by Natural Resources Wales. Many Welsh rivers are failing on phosphate pollution levels, with seven of nine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) now heavily polluted. Phosphorus, a common element in agricultural fertilizers and sewage and industrial discharges, can lead to rapid growth of algae and poor water quality if it is found in large quantities.
Elin says that modern items such as vapes, and laughing gas canisters are a major problem in recent years contributing to water pollution. “Litter is a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away. It just keeps on changing.” The plastic casings of the vapes can damage the rivers before breaking down into microplastics polluting the river and thus entering the food chain through aquatic animals, say environmentalists.
Sewage treatments and agricultural waste are one of the highest contributors to deteriorating the water quality of rivers in the country. Along with it, household waste items such as sofas and TV sets are also found in the rivers in Wales. Elin says, “You could basically furnish a house with the stuff we find.”
But, Elin says that it is not just the waste in the rivers that is concerning, waste along the riversides needs urgent attention. “So much of the litter in the actual waterways comes from land. We have a responsibility to stop it from blowing into the water.” On Saturday, hundreds of cigarette butts were collected along with other manmade waste at a single cleanup event.
Michi, who is a member of the Youth Climate Ambassadors is passionate about river health and climate action and has started a petition about the river pollution. She says, “The problem is pollution and that rivers have been taken out of their original forms. They have been pushed into a different home.”
Her organisation is demanding that 10% of the flood funds be allocated to nature-based flood management. “Rivers need to be wilder with more vegetation and biodiversity. Natural rivers flow freely, but we’ve forced them into unnatural forms. Flats and plains are taken away, and that’s feeding into the problem.”
Kate Strong, an ex-triathlon champion and creator of the Taff Tidy project says that she wanted to show the world the power of bringing people together and make a social change happen. She says, “anyone can’t change life but anyone, in a group…now you have got something exciting.”
Kate adds that the work is not done yet and we have long way to go in terms of improving the rivers’ condition in Wales. She says that locals can do a lot of things to help improve the condition of our rivers. Joining a local river cleanup community like Cardiff Rivers Group is highly recommended by her.
Kate says that using harsh chemicals for cleaning bathroom, kitchen and car should be avoided as it goes into drain system thus affecting the water that goes into rivers. People should also avoid flushing wet wipes down their toilets and dispose them off properly in garbage bins. Kate says that buying chickens should be avoided as the poultry farming is largely responsible for river pollution. Finally, locals can ask their MPs to prioritise water protection and enforcing fines for polluters.
Viv says that although the pollution is on a bigger scale, people should feel empowered instead of being upset. “I just hope people don’t feel overwhelmed by the amount of plastic pollution. Every little bit helps.”