A clean up of the Claddagh Basin and lower Eglington Canal recently took place with the removal of more than two tonnes of litter.
Three bicyles and two tonne bags of glass bottles, drinking glasses and cans were also removed.
A collaboration between the Galway City Council and Clean Coasts carried out the clean up through funding from the Ocean Conservancy #TeamSeas Project.
This initiative works on solutions to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in the ocean, threatening ocean wildlife through ingestion and entanglement.
Every year during Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup™, hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb lakes, rivers and beaches around the world for litter.
Tiarnan McCusker, environmental awareness officer with the Galway City Council, said: "Unfortunately, there has been an environmental cost to the outdoor lifestyles adopted during the pandemic. From the recent clean-up, we took out a huge amount of pint glasses, beer and wine bottles, bikes and even shopping trolleys.
"We all need to do our bit and use the bins provided in the city and not throw anything into the watercourses. Many thanks to Clean Coasts and the Ocean Conservancy for funding this initiative.’"
Dara Dever, clean coasts officer with An Taisce, added: "We are delighted to partner with Galway City Council on this Project. The #TeamSeas project helps us reach an area we wouldn’t normally be able to clean.
"This has removed a significant amount of litter from our waterways and stop it breaking down further. It’s very important that we respect the city's waterways
