Watertrek has launched its very first paddle & pick operation this March along the river Marne, using the protocole developed by its partner  Surfrider Foundation, collecting waste from paddle boards. The Ocean Initiatives protocol is a wide litter collection program launched by the famous NGO exactly 20 years ago. His aim is to alert people on the impact of marine litter on rivers, lakes, seas and seabeds, counting and sorting the types of waste gathered. Data collected during those campaigns allows for a general inventory to be taken, and hence regulatory framework to be adapted.

"If you drop it on the land, it ends up in the sea »: 80% of waste found in the sea come from inland. This is why our happy team of watertrekers decided to collect trash along the banks of the Polangis canal, a tiny and gorgeous affluent of the Marne hosting swans and taverns. The brave rowers came despite the cold, the rain and a dark grey sky to collect tires, computers, plastic bags and cans. It was worth a little local white wine...

Huge thanks to Xavier, Vassili, Eric, Virginia, Carolina, Frederic, Denis, Cecile, Benjamin, Noah, Flavien et Jean-Baptiste from Le Grand 8 for this event.