Planning For Rewilding - Shopping Carts

Ladies and Gentlemen, We’re now at Part 3 of the rewilding series for Pont-Y-Pandy Woodlands, and this chapter was a turning point not just for the land, but for my understanding of how deep the challenge really goes.After the floodwaters of early 2020 tore through the area, they didn’t just damage what was visible they unearthed what had long been ignored. The land told its story through the waste it revealed. Plastics, packaging, old advertising leaflets, tangled drinks cans and perhaps most jarring of all, shopping trolleys, lodged into the riverbanks like rusted bones in a wound.What followed was not part of the original rewilding plan. But it became absolutely essential.

Once the flood receded and I walked the woodlands again, it became clear that the damage went beyond natural erosion. Rubbish was embedded deep within the soil and wrapped around branches like ivy. One patch near the old tree line was littered with half-buried packaging, plastic bottles, and remnants of human consumption left behind over years.But the most alarming sight? The trolleys in the river. They had been dragged downstream during the flood and were now caught against tree roots and half-submerged in sediment. These weren’t just misplaced they were altering the river’s natural flow, damaging the soil structure, and putting wildlife at risk. I couldn’t leave them there.

So I stepped in literally. With no support available, I made the decision to enter the river myself and start the removal process. This wasn’t without risk. The riverbanks were soft and unpredictable, the water still forceful in areas. Navigating sharp branches, shifting ground, and submerged metal required caution and determination. But leaving those trolleys where they sat felt like surrendering the future of the woodlands. Before taking action, I reached out to the companies responsible. I won’t name them here, but I did explain respectfully but firmly that these trolleys were their property, and that they had a duty to help retrieve them. Unfortunately, the response was silence. A few staff I spoke to did want to help and to their credit, showed understanding but were not allowed to act. It was disheartening. What started as a simple call for cooperation became a quiet reminder of something larger: not every business sees the ecosystem as their concern.

To someone walking by, a trolley in a river might just seem like a bit of rubbish unfortunate, maybe unsightly. But to an ecologist, a photographer, or a local who walks these paths daily, it’s something far more serious. These metal frames do real damage: They redirect the river’s flow, causing unnatural bank erosion. They block root growth, making it harder for new plant life to take hold. They disturb fragile species, especially those who live or nest near the waterline. And they trap other debris, compounding the problem and choking the stream. This isn’t just about pollution it’s about ecological consequences that could, if left unchecked, undo years of restoration effort.

This was the first time I truly saw, up close, how corporate disconnection can ripple into environmental harm. I’d always believed in the power of joined-up action community, business, landowners, volunteers working as one. But in this moment, I realised that’s not always the case. Sometimes, it comes down to a lack of simple, preventative practices things like secure bin storage or local site inspections. And when those are overlooked, it’s often the people on the ground individuals or small groups who are left to pick up the pieces. Literally. And that’s hard to accept, especially when communities put their time, care, and hope into preserving spaces like this.

If rewilding is to have any chance here, this kind of waste must be removed not once, but continuously, with shared responsibility. If it’s left to rot, the outcome could be devastating:Flora along the banks will disappear. Soils will erode faster than new life can grow. Species will vanish, one by one, as their habitats collapse. If that happens, Pont-Y-Pandy Woodlands won’t just be in decline it will face a slow but steady ecological breakdown. We can’t let that happen. Ladies and Gentlemen, in Part 4, I’ll take you through the process of clearing this waste the practical steps, the setbacks, and the first signs of recovery. It’s not glamorous work. But it’s what the land needed. And, in many ways, what I needed too to understand this fight is one worth showing up for, even if you're standing alone in a river to start it.

Until the next time… Take care.

Michael “Druid” Thomas
Lunacare Cymru | Media – Blog