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Sound Rivers Swim Guide interns Katrina Borgen and Tierney Reardon got an introduction to the Greenville trash trap on Wednesday.

The two summer interns joined Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman, Sound Rivers Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz and Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register at the trap, located on Greensmill Run in Greensprings Park where they removed 118 pounds of trash from the urban waterway.

“A lot of that weight was from a big tire we found in in the trap,” Katey said. “But that was one of the unusual finds: a tire, two basketballs, one mini basketball, two footballs and a condom.”

Emily said she was excited about how well the trash trap was doing since its installation in March.

“It’s doing great. I’m very proud of our trash trap weathering all the storms, because that creek definitely has changing water levels,” Emily said. “I’m looking forward to more people in Greenville getting involved with our clean-outs.”

The Greensmill Run trap is the fifth one Sound Rivers has installed on small waterways in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds — part of Litter-Free Rivers program. The other trash traps are located on Jack’s Creek in Washington, Duffyfield Canal in New Bern, Little Rock Creek in Raleigh and Adkin Creek in Kinston. Four more are currently in the works: two more in Raleigh, another in Washington and potentially a fourth in Tarboro.

Emily said the next Greensmill Run trash-trap cleanout is set for the beginning of June.

“It’s always a fun time, and it makes it even more fun when there are volunteers there,” she said.

Are you interested in volunteering to help clean out a trash trap? We’d love your help! Email Emily at emily@soundrivers.org.