Launched by the Belgian stand-up paddlers Wim Pyl, his sister Tineke and Jan Moermans, who already paddled that exact same route in 2017, a group of stand-up paddlers & Watertrekers will go for a long distance expedition of 250 km on 3 Belgian rivers at the end of April 2022 to observe the evolution of plastic waste present on the itinerary 5 years later. 

The objective remains identical: to alert on the quantity of macrowaste in rivers, responsible for 80% of the plastic pollution found in oceans.

In addition to this desire to raise awareness, the crew wishes to accurately quantify the number and type of waste encountered and to map it. The Belgium paddlerswill be joined by Antoine Bruge, designer in France of the Plastic Origins protocol within Surfrider Foundation, a numerical tool to count and map waste in rivers, and by Stéphane Vuillet, a French speaking film director from Brussels who will immerse into the adventure to film a documentary film.

The participants plan to collect plastic waste on their way and build a giant snake from it that will float at the back of the paddle boards, convinced that such a creation - because of its large size - is likely to strike and raise attention on those pollutions. 

The expedition can be followed on Watertrek’s social platforms, including its Instagram page, the week of April 24th, 2022.

If you are a school and would like to get in touch with us BEFORE the departure of our expedition and discuss with us DURING the expedition, write to contact@watertrek.org. We can schedule a short visioconference with your pupils before April 25th, 2022 and schedule a proper physical meeting by the end of the year.