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In 1989, the Port of Tyne joined in partnership with the four riverside councils of Gateshead, Newcastle, South Tyneside and North Tyneside, in an effort to combat the problem of debris and litter in the River Tyne. Many initiatives took place including the acquisition of a debris collection vessel – The Eager Beaver!
Just over 15 years later, as a result of a £280,000 capital funding investment from the SITA Environmental Trust , the partners celebrated the launch of 2 new debris collection vessels - The Clearwater and SITA Eater and the birth of The Clean Tyne Project as we know it today.
The agreement was to produce a sustainable project that would reduce the amount of litter and debris in the River Tyne. The Clean Tyne Project is split into two specific parts; prevention and cure. Prevention is delivered through an education and awareness campaign, while the cure is met by the debris collection vessels and riverside clean-up events, called River Bank Raids|.
Newcastle University has worked with the Port of Tyne to develop a methodology that allows the Project to measure its success and assess the levels of debris along the River Tyne, as well as identifying ‘hotspots, which are the areas where debris is having the greatest effect on the environment.
Between the sea and Newburn / Ryton, the River Tyne has been split into 106 zones, which are surveyed every 3 months and awarded grades of A to E, with A being the zones with least debris.
The results give a good indication of how the debris problem is changing and how the river quality is improving. From the results, places where The Clearwater and SITA eater can be best utilised are identified.
For the latest results please click here|.