Through a generous grant from the Pigeon River Fund administrated through the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Asheville GreenWorks has initiated a pilot program to keep litter from entering the French Broad River.
Installed summer 2015, the Trash Boom pilot worked to gather information about the amount of trash that enters our most urban streams through roadside and storm-water runoff. We then evolved the project to a larger and more passive device that can
Our first device was a repurposed pontoon boat outfitted to sit patiently in a waterway and passively capture man-made litter. Version 2.0 of the Trash Trout was the work of Elastec, the world leader in oil spill containment and cleanup. Jeff Cantrell set his team to design a litter capturing device that could withstand the rigors of a high flowing tributary, yet easily capture stormwater generated litter. Aptly named the Brute Bin, this version is in it for the long haul. Professionally built, affordable and designed to catch trash for decades to come.
Installed summer 2015, the Trash Boom pilot worked to gather information about the amount of trash that enters our most urban streams through roadside and storm-water runoff. We then evolved the project to a larger and more passive device that can
Our first device was a repurposed pontoon boat outfitted to sit patiently in a waterway and passively capture man-made litter. Version 2.0 of the Trash Trout was the work of Elastec, the world leader in oil spill containment and cleanup. Jeff Cantrell set his team to design a litter capturing device that could withstand the rigors of a high flowing tributary, yet easily capture stormwater generated litter. Aptly named the Brute Bin, this version is in it for the long haul. Professionally built, affordable and designed to catch trash for decades to come.
Where is the trash coming from?
Since 1973 Asheville GreenWorks has held thousands of roadside and river cleanups, Roadside littering accounts for approximately 75% of the trash in the French Broad River basin. This trash is funneled through our storm drain systems directly into our creeks and in some cases, this storm-water is piped directly into the river. No filters or other mechanisms are currently in place to keep the trash from entering our waterways.
Once the trash has entered the water it begins an accelerated process of photodegradation. Whereby the petroleum based products (plastics / polystyrenes) begin to break into smaller and smaller pieces. These tiny pieces of trash are in some instances consumed by wildlife as they're mistaken for food. The majority of this debris goes on a journey that will take it through several states and rivers before finally ending up in the Gulf of Mexico.
GreenWorks volunteers spend a great deal of time and energy removing this pollution from the river. The majority of the trash is single use plastic products and in most cases recyclable. These devices keep floating trash from entering the French Broad River.
Since 1973 Asheville GreenWorks has held thousands of roadside and river cleanups, Roadside littering accounts for approximately 75% of the trash in the French Broad River basin. This trash is funneled through our storm drain systems directly into our creeks and in some cases, this storm-water is piped directly into the river. No filters or other mechanisms are currently in place to keep the trash from entering our waterways.
Once the trash has entered the water it begins an accelerated process of photodegradation. Whereby the petroleum based products (plastics / polystyrenes) begin to break into smaller and smaller pieces. These tiny pieces of trash are in some instances consumed by wildlife as they're mistaken for food. The majority of this debris goes on a journey that will take it through several states and rivers before finally ending up in the Gulf of Mexico.
GreenWorks volunteers spend a great deal of time and energy removing this pollution from the river. The majority of the trash is single use plastic products and in most cases recyclable. These devices keep floating trash from entering the French Broad River.
Locations
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Mud Creek, Hendersonville NC
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Hominy Creek, Asheville NC
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Installed June 2017
POUNDS OF TRASH COLLECTED
Funding provided by: The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina - Pigeon River Fund, George and Jennifer Hodges - Pisgah Plants Nursery, Biltmore Iron & Metal Company, Alan Sheppard - Alan's Jewelry and Pawn Will Rice - Henco North and the City of Hendersonville NC.
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Installed July 2018
POUNDS OF TRASH COLLECTED
Funding provided by: Elastec, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina - Pigeon River Fund and friends of the Trash Trout.
Annual sponsorship provided by Zen Tubing "Find your Inner Tube" This device is currently out of the water being repaired. We're hoping to have this Trout swimming again by Spring 2020. |
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Town Branch, Asheville NC
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Smith Mill Creek, Asheville NC
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Installed Feb 2018
POUNDS OF TRASH COLLECTED
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Installed May 2020
POUNDS OF TRASH COLLECTED
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Device built by: Eagle Scout Ian Sprouse of BSA Troop #91 Asheville Fence and Asheville GreenWorks
Annual sponsorship provided by: Siteworks Studios, Wedge Brewing Co and Henco North. |
Device build by: Eagle Scout Joshua Owen of BSA Troop #58 Asheville Fence and Asheville GreenWorks
Annual sponsorship provided by: New Belgium Brewing Asheville and Henco North. |
How can I get involved?
Please help us monitor these devices for trash build up or damage. We're seeking volunteers to clean out and log the data from each collection point. If you're interested in helping out, please call 828-232-7144 or click HERE to email.
Sponsor a creek
Consider sponsoring a trash boom for one of our area creeks. Now taking sponsorships for the following tributaries: Sweeten Creek, Smith Mill Creek, Flat Creek, Haw Creek and Gashes Creek.
Contact Eric Bradford for more information. Ph 828-232-7144
Contact Eric Bradford for more information. Ph 828-232-7144