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Marsh Creek gets trash traps No. 7-9

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

Posted on October 10th, 2024

The Great Raleigh Cleanup Founder Preston Ross III, N.C. State Researcher Jack Kirki-Fox and volunteer David transport a trash trap to its new home on Marsh Creek.

A partnership with the City of Raleigh, The Great Raleigh Cleanup and North Carolina State University came to fruition with the installation of trash traps numbers 7, 8 and9 in Raleigh earlier this week.

“This is a really exciting new partnership, because it leverages the talent and expertise of city staff and community partners to tackle the growing issue of litter pollution,” said Sound Rivers Executive Director Heather Deck.

The three passive litter-collection devices — part of Sound Rivers’ Litter-Free Rivers program — were installed on tributaries of Marsh Creek, located in northeast Raleigh. They will all be used for research for the study “Protecting the Neuse River Estuary through Community-Engaged Prevention of Stormwater-Derived Litter in Urban Headwaters,” run by Dr. Barbara Doll, an associate extension professor and extension specialist with NCSU. The study will focus on the types of litter collected from the trash traps (including micro- and macro-plastics), the quantity and sources of waste, how litter gets into waterways and will ultimately develop and test targeted interventions for litter prevention.

Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, Jack Kirki-Fox and a volunteer Johnny install a trash trap on Marsh Creek near Stonybrook Drive.

Sound Rivers and The Great Raleigh Cleanup will be managing two of the traps: one located on Marsh Creek near Stonybrook Drive; the other near Greywood Drive. NCSU will be managing the third, near Quail Ridge Drive.

“Organization was pretty key to getting all three installed in two days,” Heather said.

The Great Raleigh Cleanup hosted a cleanup — collecting nearly a ton of trash in the area — prior to installation. Sound Rivers, with the help of the Town of Tarboro’s Public Works employees, traded out the recently installed trash trap on East Tarboro canal (Trash Trap No. 7) with a smaller model that better fits the small stream, then moved the larger version to its new Marsh Creek home.

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber assist Town of Tarboro Public Works staff with switching trash traps on East Tarboro Canal.

Along with Heather, assisting in the installation of the Litter-Free Rivers three newest traps were The Great Raleigh Cleanup’s founder Preston Ross III, The Great Raleigh Cleanup’s WorkForce program participants, N.C. State Researcher Jack Kirki-Fox, Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber, Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney and new intern Claire von Haefen.

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber and Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney prepare a trash trap for installation on upper Marsh Creek near Grey Wood Drive.

Sound Rivers launched the Litter-Free Rivers program in May of 2022 with the installation of a trash trap on Jack’s Creek in Washington. Traps across both the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds have since been added: on Duffyfield Canal in New Bern, Little Rock Creek in Raleigh, Adkin Branch in Kinston, Greens Mill Run in Greenville and East Tarboro Canal in Tarboro. With the assistance of a team of volunteers, Sound Rivers monitors and cleans out the traps, removing litter from these small urban waterways and putting it where it belongs. Sound Rivers also recently launched the Adopt A Trash Trap program to provide groups (civic, clubs, groups of friends or family members) a monthlong, hands-on opportunity to help make local waterways Litter-Free.

For more information about the Adopt A Trash Trap program visit here.

Are you interested in participating in a trash trap cleanout? Find out when they’re happening and where at our volunteer signup page!


Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and The Great Raleigh Cleanup volunteers Megan and Kaley.
Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney and new intern Clair von Haefen assist with threading buoys through the lines holding the trash trap in place.
Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, Jack Kirki-Fox and Preston Ross III discuss trash trap placement on Marsh Creek.
The replaced trash trap on East Tarboro Canal is a much better fit for the narrow urban waterway.

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