Citizen Science
Training Programme
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New for 2024, Trash Free Trails are touring the UK to visit 9 community groups to train them to become Citizen Scientists!
Undertaking research contributing to the State of Our Trails Report, these 9 communities will survey and monitor the levels of single-use pollution (litter!) in their local trails.
Find out where we're headed and follow along with each community's journey below!
Check Out Where We're Headed!
From Scotland to the South West, these communities are embarking on a unique two-year study to protect their trails.
Follow along with the Training Tour on our social media!
The unique Training and Research will consist of voluntary activities to gather data on the impacts of Single Use Pollution in wild places local to you by following our methodology. Participants will engage in a period of online learning through an e-course and online discussions, followed by an in person demonstration of the methodologies. After this, participants will schedule their monitoring and surveying for the following two years, contributing first-of-its-kind data.
Participating communities will learn and practice state of the art surveyance and monitoring methods to learn more about the single-use pollution in the wild places that you love.
They'll discover how this voluntary contribution supports long-term positive change. The methods are based on brand new scientific methods we have developed in partnership with Bangor University.
What They'll Learn
The TFT Research Team are heading on tour to meet each research community in May!
They'll teach the practicalities of Single-Use Pollution monitoring, explore what's already there, and celebrate the start of an incredible 2-year research programme.
This programme has been made possible through the unparalleled support of our partners. Thanks to the support of The North Face and the European Outdoor Conservation Association.
In Person Training
As of 2021, there were less than 5 academic papers on single-use pollution on recreational trails. We are working to fill that knowledge gap, because without research we can’t pursue widespread system change.
This is the biggest research programme we’ve ever done, and will help expand our understanding of the single-use pollution issue to a national scale. The more we know, the more change we can make.
Why Is It Important
Fancy helping out?
Didn't apply for the Training Tour but want to do your bit? You can share data on single-use pollution on your trails at any time via The State of Our Trails Report.
If you're interested in learning more about Citizen Science, sign up to our newsletter for a VERY exciting announcement, coming later this year!
