When the Curbside Trashcan Become TRASH

June 2^nd, 2019, Ross Miller from the Cumberland River Compact invited volunteers out on the Cumberland River for an afternoon of river clean-up starting at Rock Harbor Marina, Nashville TN. After safety guidelines and some facts about waste in our rivers, we went out on the water. Half the group chose paddle boards and the other kayaks. . We did not know then that when the curbside trashcan become trash many end up in the river.

Since I had never tried it before, I chose the paddle board. The equipment was supplied with T-shirts,  water, gloves, grabbers and mesh bags to store our catch. A flat bottom powerboat was available to pick up tires, large items and our full bags. It was a sunny day with a nice breeze. Back at the Marina 3hrs later we enjoyed a complimentary lunch which was very appreciated.

When done, we were asked if some of us would like to go back out for an hour to recover more of the large trash from the riverbanks. I didn’t miss that opportunity and was able to document some of it.