2022 Cleanup Summary
In 2022 Congaree Riverkeeper conducted 15 river and stream cleanups, and with the help of 175 volunteers we picked up and recorded 12,559 pieces of trash and debris. For the last several years we've partnered with the South Carolina Aquarium to track all the trash we collect at our cleanups through their Litter-Free Digital Journal app. The data we collect helps is identify litter trends, inform public policy, and educate the public.
Below is a brief analysis of our river and stream cleanup data from the last year.
Glass bottles and fragments were the most common item we picked up, making up 15% of the total number of items we recorded. Plastic bags, plastic food wrappers, styrofoam and plastic bottles made up the rest of the top five most common items.
When we look at the overall categories of trash, plastics made up nearly 60% of all the items we picked up and recorded. Once again, plastic was by far the most common category of trash.
In addition to plastic and glass, we also picked several unique items. Tire dumping has long been an issue, but it seems to be getting worse, and this year we picked up 36 tires from our waterways. Among the other interesting items we picked up were a kiddie pool, a toilet, a few shopping carts, dozens of shoes, and a surprising amount of broken ceramic pieces (nearly 100).
Thank you to our partners at Palmetto Pride for supporting our cleanup program this year with a litter prevention grant and cleanup supplies!
And most importantly, THANK YOU SO MUCH to the dedicated volunteers who came out and helped clean up our rivers and streams! You made a huge impact, and we've got the data to prove it.
