Volunteers clear 32 kilometres of Drau riverbank by SUP

Numerous volunteers used stand-up paddleboards on Saturday to remove rubbish from the banks of the Drau between Ruden and Lavamünd, ORF reported. The fifth Drau riverbank cleanup covered and cleaned 32 kilometres.

Many participants carried rubbish bags on their boards. Organiser Stefan Salzmann said participants did not need to be experts, but should be able to stand reasonably steadily on a board. The event was not a race, he said, but a relaxed collection effort focused on the cause and on having fun.

The cleanup also received support from Slovenia, where a delegation took part in the action. Carinthian volunteers have previously joined riverbank cleanups in Koper and Izola. The shared activities have since developed into a friendship.

Over the past few years, the volunteers have collected around one tonne of rubbish. Finds have included old car batteries, a toilet bowl, plastic bottles and pieces of boards. Markus Kleinszig of the Lavanttal Waste Management Association said the rubbish included both items left by people and debris brought by flooding.

The Lavanttal Waste Management Association takes over the collected rubbish and disposes of it properly.

The St Andrä im Lavanttal water rescue service monitored the stand-up paddlers and supported the cleanup. Christian Singerl said the service also took over rubbish because there was little space for it on the boards.