Reviewed by: Amelia Pilgrim
1,976 pounds of trash now removed from McDonald Creek
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Tennessee Riverkeeper volunteers, along with Convergint and Model Environment removed approximately 1,976 pounds of trash from McDonald Creek and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Friday, June 5.
Volunteers removed a bevy of different items from the waterway, including numerous bags of trash, tires, a few bicycles, a chain link fence gate and other large metal debris.
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Tennessee Riverkeeper leads McDonald Creek cleanup
Twenty-one volunteers participated in the cleanup at McDonald Creek, which is a tributary of the Tennessee River.
Tennessee Riverkeeper representatives said the most common trash items found were made from some form of plastic, the most common being polystyrene (“styrofoam”), polyethylene (plastic bottles and shopping bags) and polypropylene (straws).
“Plastic pollution is a local and global issue. Scientific studies have confirmed that microplastics and chemicals related to the plastic industry are found in humans and wildlife. These cleanups are a great short term solution, but we need bigger solutions that prevent this problem from getting worse.”
David Whiteside, Executive Director of Tennessee Riverkeeper
Whiteside said the Tennessee River and its tributaries are often “collection zones for litter.”
He said litter that flies out of garbage trucks or gets thrown out on streets will frequently flow into creeks and rivers after rain events via drainage systems.
Unfortunately, Whiteside added, this creates a situation where waterways receive a load of plastics.
“There is no easy solution to plastic pollution. We do know that preventing plastics from entering waterways is an obvious solution and it is easier to remove garbage from the shorelines and shallow water of creeks and rivers.
It is very difficult and inefficient to try to remove litter from deeper water.”
David Whiteside, Executive Director of Tennessee Riverkeeper
In 2019, Tennessee Riverkeeper launched a microplastics campaign to remove plastic and other litter from waterways, while educating the public about this pollution threat.
In 2026 so far, Tennessee Riverkeeper cleanups have removed approximately 4,766 pounds of trash from local waterways.
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