Plastic-free paddling: A kayak adventure with a twist in Suffolk

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Kurt Finch, owner of Nomad Sea Kayaking, sums the situation up: “If you gave me a thousand people right now, I'd put them all to work, and each one of them would end up with a bag of rubbish.” Kurt and partner Becky MacInnes-Clark have run kayaking expeditions along the Essex, Suffolk and Dorset coasts for 16 years, and were already encouraging guests to be mindful of their impact by taking part in mini beach cleans. “The whole idea is to go to places that people don’t, can’t or won’t access.” open image in gallery Huge amounts of plastic pollution get washed up each year This thin strip of land south of Suffolk’s Orwell Bridge has wooded banks and is difficult to reach on foot. “People don't realise estuaries count as coastline and have problems with litter just as the sea does, and they’re sadly overlooked when it comes to beach cleaning,” says Becky. “There are relatively few studies on how much is coming from each of these sources, and we need this information to address the issues.” Along with the Environment Agency, the Rivers Trust is a partner in a new £14m project financed by the European Development Fund, which is mapping how litter travels in the Medway, Great Ouse, Tamar and Poole Harbour, and creating a tool to help identify sources of litter along any river.