‘TRASH-EDY’
When crossing the Bedminster Bridge Roundabout, lost shopping trolleys can be seen dotted across the banks of the River Avon. The Bristol reach features the second largest tidal wave in the world, reaching up to a 14m (45.9 feet) range. And while this is likely responsible for the sufficient volumes of sewage-related debris dragged in and out of the city daily, examining the surrounding human environment is a clear indicator to where the bulky waste stems from.
The busy road and bus stop situated between the ASDA parking lot and Bristolian River Avon hardly act as a barrier to the trolleys belonging to the multi-billion British chain, from ending up half-submerged and rusted in the riverbank sediments. The vibrant green marking the supermarkets, identify their trolleys.
And while still having to put in 10p to release the ‘safety’ chain to use a shopping cart placed at the supermarket entrances, it has not deterred them from being found on the river banks. Whether deposited because of student mischievousness, or accidental falls, the Bristol region of the River Avon has a significant rubbish.
Throughout the 1950s to 1980s, South Bristol was regarded as the most polluted area in Bristol City, infamous due to mounds of waste found in and alongside the Malago stream, its source just south of the River Avon. The ‘ill-flowing’ stream, as the geographer and storyteller Liz Milner notes, prompted frequent flooding as blocking debris, including washing machines, trolleys, and stolen cars, reduced the time at which...
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