The Coastline Runner heading to Falkirk district on his latest litter picking run

Environmentalist Luke Douglas-Home, known as The Coastline Runner, will be running the Forth & Clyde Canal as he kicks off his litter picking runs for 2024.

Since November 2021, Luke has been on a mission to educate and engage with communities as he runs around the country’s coastline, collecting ocean-bound rubbish and meeting local people and councils to impact and influence their schemes that prevent ocean waste.

He’s ran more than 700km of the UK’s coastline and collected in excess of 670kg of rubbish while running.

This week he’s heading to the Falkirk area as he plans to run 50k along the Forth and Clyde Canal between The Kelpies and Clydebank in Glasgow.

Luke’s day job is running ‘A Future without Rubbish CIC’ – an environmental impact consultancy that works with schools, councils, businesses and communities on improving environmental impacts.

Luke said: “Collecting rubbish and putting it in the bin as I run is a tiny action – something we can all do, and it’s this idea of working together that has an impact. I have been constantly energised, by all the good actions that I have seen.

"We must see waste reduction as the starting point, not recycling. There is a long way to go, but people are waking up and taking their own actions, which is wonderful to see.

"If people see what I’m doing then realise they can do it too, it’s making an impact.

"I say to everyone who litters – Pack it in! Put it in the bin! and that would stop the need for me running coasts collecting plastic pollution.”