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The Litter-Free Rivers fleet of trash traps is growing yet again with the installation of another trash trap in Raleigh.

It will be the fifth trash trap installed on an urban waterway in the city, and this one will be working for litter-free rivers on Walnut Creek near Lake Johnson.

“This is a continuation of our partnership with the City of Raleigh. It’s our third one we’ve done with this partnership,” said Emily Fritz, Sound Rivers’ volunteer coordinator.

Also in on the partnership is The Great Raleigh Cleanup, led by Preston Ross III.

“The Great Raleigh Cleanup are the main folks who will be looking after the trash trap — this one and the other ones — making sure they’re cleaned out and coordinating volunteers,” Emily said.

Emily, Preston, Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber, Raleigh Senior Water Quality Specialist Joyce Gaffney, Lake Johnson Park Manager Dan Bagley and Assistant Manager David Kammerer will be launching the new trash trap on Friday.

“The Lake Johnson folks have been fantastic,” Emily said. “They’re super enthusiastic about having a trash trap there and helped house the trash trap, storing it until installation on Friday.”

Since this is the 12th trash trap Sound Rivers has installed on small, urban waterways throughout the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds, Emily said she expects the process to go smoothly.

“We have the install process down to a science, which is really helpful,” she said. “We definitely know what the steps are, and we have all the people. The hardest part is lifting the trash trap to get it into the creek, because they can be pretty heavy.”

Sound Rivers’ Litter-Free Rivers program started with a Jack’s Creek, Washington, installation in May of 2022. Since, trash traps have been added on Duffyfield Canal in New Bern, Little Rock Creek in Raleigh, Adkin Branch in Kinston, Greens Mill Run in Greenville, East Tarboro Canal in Tarboro; three more on Marsh Creek in Raleigh (in partnership with the City of Raleigh, The Great Raleigh Cleanup and N.C. State University), a second Washington trash trap on a small tributary of Jack’s Creek, on Little Creek in the Town of Clayton and now a fifth on Walnut Creek.

The Town of Smithfield will be getting a trash trap in 2026  and the Town of Nashville is also considering locations for its own trash trap.

If you or your group would be interested in working for water quality by volunteering to clean out a trash trap or Adopt a Trash Trap for a month, check out the following:

More information about the Adopt A Trash Trap program.

Find out when and where the next trash trap cleanouts are scheduled — we’d love to have your help! Email emily@soundrivers.org.

Like Sound Rivers’ ever-expanding Litter-Free Rivers program? We definitely do! Donate today to help Litter-Free Rivers grow!