CLEAR RIVERS

Happy 8 year anniversary for CLEAR RIVERS Litter trap in Brussels!
This Litter trap was our 4th Litter Trap placement and followed the placement of 3 Litter traps in 2017 in Rotterdam.
The Litter trap is:
- Mainly made of recycled plastics and shows no wear and tear so far.
- Emptied several times a week by Port of Brussels.
- Collects up to 50m3 debris annually.

Many thanks to The Usual Hotels and Port de Bruxelles - Haven van Brussel! 🩵

🪖🛵26 helmets pulled from Rotterdam's waterways this summer!

💚Our litter traps collected 26 helmets from scooters and mopeds, including quite a few from companies such as felyx and Check

🙌The good news: Check was very helpful in figuring out how we can return the helmets. We hope the other companies will do the same soon!

♻️Our litter traps are there to stop waste before it travels further down the river and eventually into the sea. But they also give us a glimpse of just how much, and how varied, the waste in our waterways can be.

💚Let's keep Rotterdam's rivers clean!

🌿 FROM WASTE TO WETLANDS – CLOSING & IMPACT SHOWCASE 🌊

What if plastic waste could become part of a solution for healthier waterways and wetlands? ♻️🌱

From Waste To Wetlands – Eco-Innovation Design Challenge brought together young people from across Vietnam to explore exactly this question.

Through a series of workshops, mentoring sessions and hands-on design activities, students and young professionals aged 18-30 developed innovative ideas that combine recycled materials, circular design and nature-based solutions to address plastic pollution and support wetland ecosystems.

From 23 teams across 12 provinces, participants transformed ideas into creative prototypes, exploring how discarded materials can be given a new life while contributing to healthier urban waterways. 🌏💡

Now, after months of learning, designing, experimenting and sharing, it’s time to celebrate the journey!

🎉 JOIN OUR CLOSING EVENT!
🌱 The journey of From Waste To Wetlands, from youth ideas to real-world implementation;
♻️ How recycled materials were transformed into floating wetland platforms;
🔬 Key findings from the Can Tho University field research;
💡 Reflections from participants, mentors and project partners;
🌊 Lessons learned and opportunities to take the innovation further
🎉 A celebration of the people and organisations who contributed to the programme.
🎁 And… some lucky participants will receive special recycled gifts!
Our gifts are made from recycled materials - a small reminder that what we call “waste” can have a second life when we rethink its value. ♻️💚

📅 16 September 2026
⏰ 14:00–16:00 (GMT+7) | 09:00–11:00 (CEST)
💻 Online via Zoom
🎟️ FREE REGISTRATION: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/c-AKWrNUTguJ4bWbnl1zzQ

Whether you participated in the challenge, work in the environmental sector, are interested in the circular economy and wetlands, or simply want to discover some inspiring ideas from young Vietnamese innovators - you’re warmly invited!

Let’s celebrate the power of young people, creativity and circular thinking to turn waste into possibilities. 🌿♻️🌊

Our litter traps have collected 35 nitrous oxide cylinders over the past few months!!!

💚Luckily, these containers don't have to end their journey as waste. We can separate the plastic handles to be recycled in our Circular Workshop, and the metal canisters will be recycled separately too (once emptied😬).

♻️Often, materials that have been discarded can still be recovered, sorted and put back into circulation and this is a great example of that!

💚That being said, we would love to see less of these gas cylinders showing up in our litter traps in the first place!

💚🌍Big thank you to Rabobank Coöperatie Fonds Rotterdam!!!

🙌We are incredibly grateful to have received a very generous donation in support of our new Circular Workshop. And we want to extend our thanks to René Plugge, who presented us with the cheque at our office on the Persoonshaven.

♻️Thanks to this contribution, we'll be able to purchase the specialised tools needed for our recycling process - a vital step in transforming collected plastic waste into valuable new products. The tools will be used in our upcoming Circular Workshop, where we will demonstrate how plastic waste can be given new life as a durable new product.

💚We can't wait to share our progress with you!!!