TENNESSEE RIVERKEEPER CLEANS UP APPROXIMATELY 2,023 POUNDS OF TRASH IN HUNTSVILLE
TENNESSEE RIVERKEEPER CLEANS UP APPROXIMATELY 2,023 POUNDS OF TRASH IN HUNTSVILLE IN HONOR OF ORION AMPHITHEATER’S 100TH CONCERT
HUNTSVILLE, AL — Tennessee Riverkeeper, Model Environment, and The Orion Amphitheater recently removed more than 2,023 pounds of trash from Pinhook Creek in downtown Huntsville on Saturday, August 2, 2025 in honor of Orion Amphitheater’s 100th concert this weekend.
In 2025, Tennessee Riverkeeper has removed approximately 9,500 pounds of trash from waterways.
Pinhook Creek and Huntsville Spring Branch are tributaries of the Tennessee River. 18 people attended and removed 61 bags of trash, as well as large debris including 5 shopping carts, tires, and miscellaneous scrap metal.
PLASTICS — 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, such as The Orion Ampitheater’s reusable cup program,” according to David Whiteside, Executive Director of Tennessee Riverkeeper.
The Tennessee River and its tributaries around Huntsville, like Pinhook Creek, 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.
“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. Tennessee Riverkeeper commends The Orion Amphitheater for their proactive solutions to reduce single-use plastic waste. They are an environmental leader in the music industry,” added Whiteside.
Cleanups organized by Tennessee Riverkeeper have prevented more than 54,000 pounds of litter from entering our waterways. “These events show that a few people can make a difference, and cleanups provide some hope for hundreds of thousands of citizens who are concerned about our river and its tributaries. Clean water is a nonpartisan issue; we are all in this together,” added Whiteside.
In 2019, Tennessee Riverkeeper launched a microplastics campaign to remove plastic and other litter from waterways, while educating the public about this pollution threat. “Scientists working with National Geographic documented that the Tennessee River is polluted by as many as 16,000 to 18,000 microplastic particles per cubic meter. This pollution occurs when larger plastics breakdown over time. Experts think that they can last for hundreds of years, and toxicity can ‘biomagnify’ as microplastics build up in the food chain” said David Whiteside, Executive Director of Tennessee Riverkeeper.