Tennessee Riverkeeper

ICYMI: 3,995 pounds of trash removed from the Cumberland River in West Nashville recently. This is the most pounds of trash removed from the organization’s cleanups this year. Thank you Locust Tree Cove and Nature Add Nurture!

17 people attended the cleanup and removed 24 tires and 37 bags of trash as well as one kids car, and lots of large debris. Most of the waste removed was plastic bottles and styrofoam.

“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 trash once it sinks into deeper water,” said David Whiteside, of Tennessee Riverkeeper.

“We’re proud to partner with Tennessee Riverkeeper to help clean up the Cumberland River. Keeping our waterways clean is essential to the health of our community, our ecosystems, and future generations,” said Houston Herbert, Owner and Proprietor of Locust Tree Cove, a small business operating on that part of the river.

Delaney Royer of Nature Add Nurture said: “This is our fifth time doing a large Cumberland River cleanup. We can’t wait to do more. More hands make less work stays true when it comes to these cleanups. It is incredible the difference a few people can make in a short time. If this cleanup taught me one thing, it is to never use styrofoam again.”

1,013 Pounds of Trash Removed from Huntsville! - Tennessee Riverkeeper, The Orion Amphitheater, and Model Environment removed approximately 1,013 pounds of trash from McDonald Creek and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center on Sunday, October 11, 2026. McDonald Creek is a tributary of the Tennessee River.

26 people attended and removed 42 bags of trash, as well as large debris including 2 tires, and other large wood and metal debris. 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).

Orion Amphitheater, the band Phish, and Tennessee Riverkeeper also joined forces at the band’s concerts on October 11th and 12th to raise awareness and funds to protect water in the Tennessee Valley.

The Tennessee River and its tributaries are often collection zones for litter. 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, this creates a situation where waterways receive a plethora of plastics. We now know that this garbage negatively impacts water quality and is much more than just a visible eyesore.

“My family and I had a blast, hanging by the stream and leaving it a bit better than we found it. An excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon,” added .byford