Trash Trapped: Little Creek Litter Trap Good for Creek and Litter-Free Rivers

Please Note: We are sharing the following news release on behalf of Sound Rivers regarding an upcoming trash trap installation event scheduled for May 8. For more information about the organization, visit soundrivers.org.

A trash-collection device slated for a Clayton creek is aimed at making a local waterway litter-free.

Environmental nonprofit Sound Rivers and the Town of Clayton will host a ribbon cutting for a new trash trap on the banks of Little Creek at 5:30 p.m. on May 8, with installation of the trap in the creek to follow. The public is welcome to attend.

“After seeing the positive impact of a Sound Rivers trash trap in Raleigh, I knew this would be perfect for Clayton,” said Clayton Councilman Porter Casey. “I’m thrilled we were able to partner with Sound Rivers to make this project a reality and contribute to a cleaner, healthier community and environment!” 

Part of Sound Rivers’ Litter-Free Rivers program, trash traps are passive litter-collection devices built to withstand the rigors of flash rain events, allowing water, and wildlife, to flow through traps unimpeded while capturing larger pieces of trash floating downstream. Since its first trash trap installation in May 2022, Sound Rivers has worked with municipalities across the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds to expand its fleet of traps on urban waterways in Raleigh, New Bern, Greenville, Kinston, Tarboro and Washington. The Little Creek trap will be trash trap No. 11 in the Litter-Free Rivers fleet.

“We know there’s a ton of plastic pollution in the environment; we see trash in the river all the time, and macroplastics like plastic bottles, bags, and especially styrofoam, are the dominant forms of trash that make it to our creeks” said Sound Rivers Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop. “Over time, macroplastics break down into microscopic pieces, called microplastics, and settle into the water and the soil. These traps are intercepting all kinds of litter before it breaks down into smaller pieces and flows downstream to the Neuse River.”

Measuring less than five millimeters long, microplastics are not picked up by most water filtration systems and are often eaten by fish, birds and other aquatic animals, negatively impacting the health of wildlife and, in turn, humans.

In three years, Sound Rivers’ staff and a team of volunteers across both watersheds have removed nearly 4 tons of trash — much of it plastic — from the Litter-Free Rivers traps, and two traps located on Marsh Creek in Raleigh are currently providing material for microplastics research at N.C. State University.

“Not only have trash traps proven to be valuable research tools in some cases, but they’re so valuable in other ways: they protect our waterways and aquatic life, and they trap litter so it can be easily removed and disposed of in its proper place,” Krop said. “They also provide an opportunity to bring the community together and people into connection with an important urban stream — one that is heavily impacted by our human activities and in need of our care.”

“Keeping our rivers clean is a shared responsibility, and I’m proud that Clayton is part of this collaborative effort to protect the Neuse. It’s incredible how such a simple tool can have such a powerful impact,” said Clayton Councilwoman Andria Archer.

Parking for the Little Creek ribbon cutting and installation will be at 715 S. Fayetteville St.; town staff will be stationed at the entrance off N.C. Highway 70 and directing attendees to the ribbon-cutting location.

Those interested in volunteering to monitor and/or clean out the Little Creek trash trap or groups interested in signing up to “Adopt A Trash Trap” for a month can email Sound Rivers’ Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz at emily@soundrivers.org. 

The Clayton trash trap is sponsored by the Winston Family Foundation, Grady-White Boats and Mid-Atlantic Fabrication.

Founded in 1980-81, Sound Rivers is one of the oldest grassroots conservation organizations in North Carolina. Sound Rivers monitors and protects two watersheds covering nearly a quarter of the state. With Riverkeepers on the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers, Sound Rivers’ mission is to preserve the waterways’ health and the health of the people who rely on them through science-based advocacy and environmental justice. For more information, visit soundrivers.org.