East Kilbride-based Coca-Cola Europacific Partners colleagues joined environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and local community groups on a River Clyde litter pick to help clean the iconic waterway ahead of the Games

As Glasgow prepares to welcome athletes, spectators and communities for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, around 120 volunteers took to the River Clyde, in paddleboards and kayaks and on foot to help protect the city’s most iconic waterway, removing litter in time for the Games.

As part of Commonwealth Sport and the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, removing one million pieces of plastics from entering Commonwealth waterways, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) led the final clean-up event on the River Clyde, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful. The Commonwealth-wide initiative has been running alongside the King’s Baton Relay, with the final leg of the year-long campaign coinciding with the 21 July pick-up in the 2026 host city.

Volunteers were joined by former Team Scotland cyclist and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Charline Jones, who said: “The Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics campaign is a fantastic way to bring the Commonwealth together for a common cause and show the power of people working together to achieve this milestone today.

It gives the King’s Baton Relay extra meaning and seeing the enthusiasm of the volunteers today really shows the appetite in and around Glasgow to look after our waterways for future generations.”

Throughout July, CCEP colleagues, local community groups, customers and partner organisations joined a series of River Clyde clean-ups coordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful, helping prevent litter from entering rivers and oceans while encouraging responsible behaviours across the city.

Beyond the clean-up programme, CCEP will also install interactive ballot bins at Games venues, encouraging spectators to recycle their empty drink containers through fun, engaging voting stations. CCEP will also work closely with the venue waste management teams to support recycling efforts throughout the Games. All CCEP bottles sold at venue outlets will be recyclable, with the 500ml range made from 100% recycled plastic (Excluding caps and labels – Smartwater 600ml bottles contain 30% recycled content excluding caps and labels)

These activities support Glasgow 2026’s commitment to a greener Games and Commonwealth Sport’s wider ambition to leave a positive environmental legacy for Glasgow, Scotland and future host cities and nations, by bringing stakeholders and local communities together to benefit society as a whole.

You might also like

No Fossil Fuels, No Offsets! The Cider Farm That Said No to Offsets – and Yes to Real Sustainable Change  Charging Ahead: Electric Fleet Rollout Achieves Major Milestone apetito | Wiltshire Farm Foods New Food Production Facility Plans Approved The Power of Choice Architecture: apetito Cuts Carbon with ‘Green Brochure’