News

Great turnout, lots of trash in Kinston

Environmental, Litter-Free Rivers, Neuse River Watershed, Sound Rivers, Stormwater Issues, Volunteer, Volunteers, Water Quality

Posted on January 25th, 2024

Volunteers donned waders and hopped into Adkin Branch to clean out a large amount of garbage collected by the trash trap.

Sound Rivers Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz was back in Kinston this week, assisting volunteers from Mother Earth Brewing and Lincoln City Rising with another clean-out of the trash trap on Adkin Branch, in the heart of the city.

The Adkin Branch trash trap is one of four passive litter-catching devices Sound Rivers has installed on waterways in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico, as part of its Litter-Free Rivers program.

“We had a great turnout and were able to expand the clean-up along the banks and down the creek, filling up over five giant trash bags,” Emily said.

Since water in the creek was higher than usual, volunteers checked the depth with long sticks before foraying into the water.

“We had to make sure we didn’t swamp our waders. With this improvised method, we all stayed dry,” Emily laughed.

The next Kinston trash trap clean-out will be Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. More volunteers are always welcome! If you’re interested, email emily@soundrivers.org.

Like reading about Sound Rivers’ work and volunteer opportunities? Sign up for our eNews today!

Volunteers combed the Adkin Branch and its banks for trash on Tuesday.
One interesting find in Adkin Branch. Many times, wind events can blow items such as this into nearby waterways.
Tuesday’s haul from the Adkin Branch trash trap.

Related News

Walnut Creek trash trap install ‘a breeze’ January 22nd 2026
Riverkeeper: southeast Durham watershed improvement plan lacking key data January 22nd 2026
Specialist kicks off grant field work with Slocum Creek sampling January 22nd 2026
Data center subject of Riverkeeper, county manager meeting January 15th 2026
New tool determines best projects to minimize flood risk January 15th 2026
Sound Rivers set for newest trash trap install January 15th 2026