A boom is set to be built on the River Clyde in an effort to stop plastic and litter pollution before it heads downstream.
Glasgow City Council has teamed up with Marine Scotland, SEPA and Peel Ports to deliver a one year pilot project tackling marine pollution.
The council will remove, weigh and analyse litter caught in the device in a bid to identify what types of rubbish are most commonly found in the river.
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The boom will be made of steel mesh panels suspended on floats. It won't affect the passage of fish or other wildlife, as it is designed so that they will be able to swim under and around it, with the removal of debris from the water also helping to improve the wildlife's habitat.
Rubbish in rivers can release toxic chemicals which can harm fish and other wildlife as well as cause them to swallow or get tangled in litter.
The best location for the boom is currently being decided, but it will be below the weir and won't cross the deepest part of the river channel which is used by boats.
Councillor Angus Millar, Glasgow's Climate Convener, said: "The council supports Keep Scotland Beautiful's Upstream Battle campaign and if the boom is successful, it will become a permanent feature on the Clyde.
"Hopefully this project will spark a ripple effect and inspire other towns and villages along the Clyde to do something similar, further reducing the amount of litter which is washed downstream and the levels of microplastics in our waterways."
The project aims to reduce litter in the river and also stop it being swept downstream to places like the Arrochar Litter Sink - a spot where winds and tides deliver large amounts of rubbish - including litter from the Clyde. The foreshore at Arrochar lies at the head of Loch Long, a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde.
Marine Scotland believes litter on the Arrochar foreshore comes equally from the Irish Sea and the Clyde River. In total, about 62,000 items of litter mixed with seaweed are swept down to the shore each year. The seaweed was previously used as garden fertiliser by local residents, but it is now too contaminated to be used.
Pupils from Sunnyside School of Conservation have previously travelled to Arrochar to take part in an annual litter pick on the foreshore. The award-winning Sunnyside Ocean Defenders successfully campaigned for a ban on plastic straws to protect seabirds, whales and dolphins, as they can swallow plastics if they end up in the sea, and they continue to highlight the dangers posed to our oceans by litter.
Olivia Paterson aged 12 of Sunnyside School said: "Sunnyside Ocean Defenders are beaming about Glasgow booming! As regular cleaners of beaches and our city's streets, we know that the litter dropped here in Glasgow can make it to the coast. We are delighted that Glasgow City Council is putting a boom in to collect litter floating down the Clyde to the ocean."
