TENNESSEE RIVERKEEPER REMOVES OVER 4,400 POUNDS OF LITTER FROM CUMBERLAND RIVER

NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee Riverkeeper’s cleanup resulted in more than 4,400 pounds of aquatic litter being removed from the Cumberland River on Thursday, April 28, 2022. In 2022, Riverkeeper has removed more than 5,600 pounds of waste from local waterways.

16 people showed up and cleaned up more than two tons of trash. The Cumberland River Cleanup was organized by Tennessee Riverkeeper, Metro Nashville Homeless Impact Division, Hands On Nashville, and Pontoon Saloon.

The heaviest litter and bulk of the weight came from abandoned homeless camps along a section of the river.

Two scooters were also removed from the Cumberland River.

A lot of the smaller litter found was made from some form of plastic, the most common being polystyrene (“styrofoam”), polyethylene (plastic bottles and shopping bags), and polypropylene (straws).

Tennessee Riverkeeper is a nonprofit organization that protects the Cumberland and Tennessee River and the tributaries.

Pontoon Saloon is a floating event space for Cumberland cruises.

David Whiteside, Founder of Tennessee Riverkeeper said: “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 blessed river and its tributaries. Clean water is a nonpartisan issue; we are all in this together.”

“Pontoon Saloon is very fortunate to use the Cumberland River recreationally, so it's important for us to work with organizations that support a mission to keep our waterway clean. We value the education and protection Tennessee Riverkeeper provides to our rivers and community,” said Captain Andrew Ostrowski of Pontoon Saloon.

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 have found 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, Founder of Tennessee Riverkeeper.

“There is no easy solution to this problem. 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. Another important solution is education and informing citizens that littering not only makes our community look trashy, it also impairs fishing and water quality,” added Whiteside.

The Cumberland River and its tributaries around Nashville can be collection zones for litter. Often litter that gets thrown out on streets will 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.