People are paddling along the world's waterways picking up trash

Fancy a free kayak trip?

As long as you pick up some trash, too, you can glide along rivers and canals in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan and Germany, thanks to an idea born in Copenhagen.

Called Green Kayak, people are kitted out with green boats and equipped with a large bucket and two litter pickers.

They are also handed maps of the waterways, showing where protected birds or plants should be avoided.

After each tour, their litter pickings are weighed and recorded.

Germany is currently expanding the project which is established in Berlin, Hamburg, and Leipzig and is set to grow into Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.

It is working. A stroll along Leipzig's waterways reveals remarkably clean waters - thanks to Green Kayak volunteers who have been paddling through the city's rivers and canals for some time now.

Birgit Paul from the association for the Economy for the Common Good Central Germany started the project in Leipzig in May and is delighted with the progress so far.

"In the first two months, 116 paddlers collected 206 kilograms of litter," she says.

There were particularly rich pickings while Germany was hosting the European football tournament. Leipzig was one of 10 host cities, with fans visiting from around the world.

Volunteers mainly collected beer bottles, cans, and plastic packaging from the water. "There was really a lot to do," said Paul.

Leipzig city officials reckon 20 to 25 tons of litter accumulate and need to be disposed of in the area's medium-sized bodies of water every year.

That quantity could rise as city administrators say littering has increased in recent years.

The association for the Economy for the Common Good Central Germany plans to offer more boats in Dresden and Halle next year, and in Jena the following year - with all three cities looking forward to supporting the project.

But money is needed first. The association needs sponsors before it can put boats in Dresden, Halle, Jena and beyond.

"In Halle, we want to station two boats and in Dresden preferably two to four," Paul says.

Oke Carstensen, 33, co-founder of the Danish NGO Green Kayak, who started the project in 2017 with a friend after completing his master's degree in Copenhagen, is pleased about Leipzig's progress

"Not bad at all for a completely new city. The high demand really pleasantly surprised us," he says.

Getting started in Oslo was much harder, he says. "In the first few years, we didn't have as many people on the water there."

Overall, Carstensen says, most locations see some 20 tons of litter collected annually. In Berlin, about 1,900 kilos of litter were collected from the water in 2023. Most of the trash is consumer products such as plastic packaging or cigarette butts.

"But we have also already pulled bicycles, e-scooters, or even jewellery out of the water," he says. Clothing items are also not uncommon.

The project aims to bring people together from different social backgrounds to use the kayaks for free, Carstensen says. "It is important to us that the offer is and remains free so that anyone who wants to commit to the environment can actively participate."

After all, litter is caused by people and the environment does not distinguish between rich and poor.

Youngsters too can get involved, Paul says. The Economy for the Common Good Central Germany is working with schools and a children's restaurant in eastern Leipzig, "to introduce children to the topic of environmental protection in a simple way."