Fanta-stic litter pick at Wick riverside unearths 35-year-old can
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A litter pick at Wick riverside yesterday (Sunday, January 29) helped rid the area of rubbish and unearthed a decades-old can that shows how long certain items stay intact within the environment.
The volunteers from Wick Paths Group in conjunction with Caithness Kayak Club were taking part in the Upstream Battle Week of Action which was part of a national campaign by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).
Allan Bruce found the Fanta soft drink can which was in surprisingly good condition after lying along the riverbank for at least 35 years.
“I instantly recognised it as an old can due to the old style ring pull," said Allan.
"I knew it was a good few years since they were phased out. I couldn’t believe how intact and recognisable it was after all these years.”
The Fanta can had a detachable ring pull which would have been thrown away separately unlike newer cans which retain the ring pull after the product is opened. Such "retained ring-pull" cans supplanted pull-off tabs in the United Kingdom in 1989 for soft drinks and 1990 for alcoholic drinks.
The vintage beverage was on the side of the riverbank and Allan thinks it could have been uncovered due to recent high waters.
Golden Wonder crisp packets in good condition with pre-decimal prices that dated them to the 1960s were also unearthed a few years ago in the sand dunes of Reiss beach.
WPG secretary John Bogle said: "The old Fanta can was still pretty intact and shows how long these cans will remain in the environment if not removed."
He said there were 26 volunteers who were land-based and 5 working along the river in kayaks. The reference area the WPG worked on was split into 10 sections with a couple of volunteers in each who picked and recorded the litter. "The other six volunteers plus the kayakers picked litter but didn't record it," he added.
"It was quite time-consuming identifying and recording the litter but the information will be fed into the national statistics. A good amount of litter was collected and a real difference was made in tidying up the riverside and avoiding this damaging litter ending up in the sea.
"A very big thank you to all who turned out to take part in the Keep Scotland Beautiful – Upstream Battle."
The bags of rubbish and other waste found along Wick river will be heading to the local recycling centre. It was estimated that the amount of litter collected, if it had all been bagged, would be around 20 full black bags.
KSB organisers say that Scotland has a "litter emergency" and with 80 per cent of marine litter starting its life on land, the issue needs to be addressed. Upstream Battle had the aim of tackling marine litter from its source before it ends up in waterways.
The charity says the litter is "killing wildlife, threatening ecosystems and habitats, and is extremely difficult and expensive" to clean up. It invites local groups and individuals to raise awareness of marine litter and encourages everyone to address the issue in their local rivers and streams for the benefit of people, rivers and streams.
