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It is estimated a plastic bottle will take 450 years to biodegrade while a plastic bag will take 500 years.

The statistics of our plastic usage and waste is alarming and it is clear that action must be taken to rid Somerset of waste and litter.

Footpaths are clogged with waste, plastic bottles are seen floating down river streams, with litter washed up onto our beaches.

As part of the #do1thing campaign to encourage people to do something to improve the environment, we spoke to the people clearing it up from canals, rivers and beaches around Somerset.

These people have seen first hand startling problems plastic pollution is causing to Somerset and spoke of the "absolutely astounding" levels of litter in their areas.

How a 'fed up' group of residents banded together to clear their canal

(Image: Rage Against Rubbish)

Fed up with seeing "vast amounts of rubbish and discarded items" in Bridgwater and Taunton Canal in Bridgwater, a group of people decided to take matters into their own hands and created a litter picking group.

Rage Against Rubbish was formed by Sarah Johnstone, Dan Perry, his ten-year-old son Riley, Jason Winter and Trev Vass, and for one day a month, they walk and paddle up the canal picking up litter.

"We see a lot of plastic, bottles, cans, items of clothing, bikes, scooters, skateboards and cigarette butts", Ms Johnstone said about their litter picks.

"There's also a lot of dog poo in plastic bags which is left behind by dog walkers that we pick up.

"We do also find a lot of rubbish but there's a lot of needles and drug paraphernalia as well as sharp glass.

"We can pick it up but we just have to be careful."

The group has also encountered some bizarre items, including shopping trolleys and stereos and even 20 boxes of Quality Street.

(Image: Rage Against Rubbish)

Instead of the treats being a tasty reward for their hard work, the chocolates had to be thrown away because they had become wet.

Ms Johnstone believes there are a number of factors why litter is around the area, ranging from wind blowing litter out of bins, rubbish being washed down the canal and people dropping their waste.

It is a problem that she calls "frustrating" and believes that not only does litter impact the local environment, it also stops people from visiting what is otherwise a scenic part of Bridgwater.

She said: "It is causing a negative impact on the area. We have seen animals like newts trapped in litter and some birds in some difficulty.

"I think if you saw a canal or footpath full of litter, you would not want to go to it.

"It wouldn't be a nice place to go to and to take your children."

(Image: Rage Against Rubbish)

Ms Johnstone simply said the key to reducing waste around the area was "just don't litter" but also feels people can do more to minimise plastic useage.

She said: "A lot of people need to think about what they are buying. If they want to buy a bottle of water, do they need to?

"Can they instead wait to go home to have a drink or buy a reusable bottle that they can refill at water stations?

"Think about what you are going to use it for and make sure you put it away responsibly."

Ms Johnstone encouraged residents to join Rage Against Rubbish's next litter pick, which will be held on Saturday, January 25 from 9.50am until 12.30pm from the YMCA in Bridgwater heading towards the docks.

Volunteers will be handed bin bags, gloves and litter pickers and can even book a kayak or canoe to use for the litter pick.

"Volunteering provides so many benefits both mentally and physically", she said.

"By volunteering with us in 2020 you'll be helping the environment, meeting new people and making new friends and you'll be outside in the fresh air exercising by walking the towpath or paddling a kayak or canoe."

The resident on a one-man mission to clean his seaside town of dog waste and litter

(Image: Steven Heard)

Minehead resident Steven Heard has long fought to rid his town of dog poo, litter and waste for at least eight years.

The former carpenter, who is deaf and diabetic, has become a well-known figure in the seaside town for his selfless litter picking and cleaning of play areas and buildings.

Documenting his volunteer work on "Steven Heard Clean Up Minehead" Facebook page, he says he goes out as "as often as I can" with the help of his mobility scooter.

He said: "I started eight years ago where our council won't go behind public path or beach to litter picking which is why I started doing it.

"The issue is plastic and bits are being washed up from somewhere as the problem is the drain where some of the litter go down toward the storm drain and out to the sea."

(Image: Steven Heard)

Using his mobility scooter and trailer, the areas he focuses on are the seafront, beach, around the town's McDonald's and coastal footpaths.

He believes the biggest culprit of damage to the environment is micro plastic as "you can't see it and wildlife suffer from it".

But he felt that due to consumer habits and peoples' reluctance to properly bin their rubbish, litter is becoming worse in the seaside town.

He said: "The problem is getting worse than ten years ago because of the plastic we buy.

(Image: Steven Heard)

"We don't take full responsibility to deposit it into the bin or stop buying stuff with plastic as most plastic goes to landfill."

Mr Heard claims he gets "no thanks" from the local council for his work - his campaign of collecting dog poo was previously stopped for three months by the then-West Somerset Council in December 2016 after he was slapped with an acceptable behaviour contract.

But the constant praise and awards for his community work motivate Mr Heard to continue his war on litter.

'It is absolutely astounding' - Bath resident's ongoing battle against piling plastic in river and streets

(Image: Artur Lesniak)

"There are 6.5 million pieces of plastic waste lost in the environment and it will take 7,500 years to clear" is the startling statistic from this one eco warrior.

Sean Dudden, who lives in Bath and has an antiques shop in Midsomer Norton, is desperate to highlight the "staggering reality" of plastic pollution.

Mr Dudden can often be seen litter picking in Midsomer Norton and removing a large sum of waste from the river stream with his volunteers.

He started the "LifeWithoutPlastic" Facebook group to to educate as many people as possible about plastic waste and the damage it can cause.

On his litter picks, he has seen everything from cigarette butts, crisp packets, snack wrappers, credit cards, bottle tops, car batteries, car parts and even dead animals.

He believes the waste issue has "gotten out of hand" but fears the damage to the environment may have already been done.

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Mr Dudden said: "The contents of the rivers are in the stomaches of birds and wildlife. I once saw a slug eating a plastic wrapper and he had eaten half of it.

"That slug likely was then eaten by a bird and the plastic the slug ate will be in the stomach of the bird.

"That is the devastating impact of the plastic pollution. It is absolutely astounding."

It's the sights of piling rubbish on the streets of Bath and litter floating in the River Somer, that inspired him to start collecting bags of waste and cut down on his own plastic usage.

Mr Dudden has said he has seen riverbanks covered in plastic, grass verges and hedges full of litter,

He feels residents can do a lot to help beat waste, namely by purchasing steel reusable drinks bottles, bamboo toothbrushes and purchasing reusable plastic containers to buy and store food in.

(Image: Artur Lesniak)

"It is quite daunting at first, but you will see the benefits", he said.

"You will be healthier - I have dropped a stone from cutting down on my plastics usage and processed food.

"You are ultimately helping tackle the problem and it would be a massive move in the right direction and would also add pressure on manufacturers to re-think their packaging solutions."

Clearing plastic waste is already benefiting Midsomer Norton - he believes his clean "revitalised" the River Somer and "nature returned in three days flat".

(Image: Artur Lesniak)

Mr Dudden feels it is evidence that removing rubbish from our environment can have an almost immediate impact, and he went on to say: "The state of the river today is looking much better.

"My hope is to get the trout back but that might be longer than I expected due to the amount of plastic still in the lower sections of the river of which I've had a chance to assess.

"The same applies with large amounts of new and old plastic flowing in the river now as we speak.

"Our group Midsomer Norton River clean volunteers must have removed over 500kg of plastic waste from the river in one year, yet we are disappointed slightly by our efforts because in the river the plastic keeps coming but to a lesser extent but still it's at a frighting level."

What are your thoughts on the plastic pollution in Somerset? How bad is your area? Is there any litter hotspots we need to know about?

Get in touch: Email michael.taylor@reachplc.com, tweet @JournoMikeT or call 01935 709742

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