State, local beautification NPOs still battling litter
A second litter boom and more float lines have been installed in Mile Branch to further clean up the Covington watershed and its water bodies, an ongoing initiative of the nonprofit Keep Covington Beautiful. The new devices will work in concert with the first boom and line previously installed as a demonstration project. Both Osprey […]
WaterWays, Hamilton County Parks & Partners Celebrate World Water Day With Litter Boom Installation On Citico Creek
Celebrate World Water Day, March 22, by seeing how local partners work to reduce the impact of litter in local creeks and streams with the installation of a floating litter boom on Citico Creek. Representative Greg Vital, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, Hamilton County Parks Superintendent Matt Folz, WaterWays Founder and Executive Director Mary Beth Sutton, Thalika […]
Over 830 events planned for Love the Boot Week
Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser invite everyone in every parish to care for their community during Love the Boot Week, April 5-13. Over 830 events are registered and over 20,000 volunteers are expected to volunteer their time during Louisiana’s largest litter removal beautification event. “Love the Boot Week is an opportunity for people in […]
500 pounds of litter removed from Jefferson Co. waterways
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Osprey Initiative recently removed 500 pounds of trash from its litter boom site in Mulga. Osprey has 15 litter boom sites in Jefferson County that they clear after rainfall. The trash in the roadways is washed into storm drains that eventually end up in waterways. Mitch Lowe is the regional manager […]
Osprey Initiative to host recycling efforts during Love the Boot Week 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. (KNOE) – Keep Louisiana Beautiful is partnering with Coca-Cola to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans during Love the Boot Week 2025. Love the Boot Week, held annually in April, is Louisiana’s largest litter removal and beautification effort. This year, KLB and Coca-Cola are celebrating the week by making recycling litter easier. […]
Local Organizations Continue Efforts to Make Mardi Gras More Sustainable for Third Year
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Office of Resilience & Sustainability is again partnering with New Orleans & Company, and Grounds Krewe, with support from sponsors like Every Can Counts, Entergy New Orleans, and Coca Cola, as well as other partners, on the Recycle Dat! initiative, promoting a more sustainable Carnival season. This year, members of the public can expect new […]
Fayetteville to begin cleanup of 10 streams
Cleanup work will begin this week on 10 streams identified as priority areas due to litter accumulation in Fayetteville. The City Council in August approved a $275,000 contract with Osprey Initiative LLC for the project. The one-year agreement includes automatic renewals for four additional years. The contract is part of a broader effort to address litter issues […]
How one company collected 600 lbs. of recyclables at the Magic City Classic + is creating a sustainable Bham
In October, Birmingham’s Legion Field welcomed close to 70,000 fans to watch two Alabama football teams face off in the largest HBCU classic in the nation—the Magic City Classic. But did you know that 14,396 plastic bottles and aluminum cans were collected at the game? Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED and Osprey Initiative brought event recycling to […]
‘Building exposure’ — Osprey Initiative offering curbside recycling
A small company in an unassuming office building on Halls Mill Road has big plans its founder hopes inspires others to make recycling easier for Mobilians. Osprey Initiative and owner Don Bates have begun offering curbside recycling for a fee to those interested in what is now a biweekly service. “Everybody loves it,” Bates said […]
Innovative technology introduced to battle ‘litter bombs’ in local community — here’s how it could clean up global waterways
San Antonio is the latest city bringing the boom to tackle a huge problem in their waterways. No, this isn’t the boom of TikTok fame. Instead, these are “litter booms” designed to stop hundreds of pounds of waste from traveling down creeks and rivers. Two litter booms created by Osprey Initiative and funded by Coca-Cola Southwest beverages were recently installed into the Salado Creek Greenway system, as […]
Coca-Cola UNITED Brings Event Recycling to 83rd Annual Magic City Classic
For the first time in its history, Coca-Cola UNITED proudly introduced event recycling to the 83rd annual McDonald’s Magic City Classic, the largest historically Black college and university (HBCU) football rivalry in the country. Through this partnership with Osprey Initiative, 14,396 plastic bottles and aluminum cans were collected – totaling more than 600 pounds of recyclable […]
Reviving Zacate Creek: Laredo partners with Coca-Cola, Osprey to protect the Rio Grande
The City of Laredo, in collaboration with Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Osprey Initiative, has embarked on a groundbreaking environmental initiative to mitigate litter and enhance the natural beauty of Zacate Creek, a 10-mile linear park that meanders through the city and feeds into the Rio Grande. “We’re always honored to come work in Laredo’s water,” […]
City, county install new ‘trash tech’ to help clean up Salado Creek
City and county officials, along with private and public partners, celebrated the introduction of two new litter collection devices into the Salado Creekway system on Friday. The devices, called “litter booms,” are floating barriers designed to capture waste as it flows with the current of the creek, helping prevent debris from spreading further. One device […]
Litter boom deployed across South Bexar County creek; county commissioner envisions more countywide
A litter boom was deployed across Salado Creek at Comanche Park in South Bexar County on Friday, the first of many hoped for by Precinct 4 County Commissioner Tommy Calvert. During a creekside news conference at the park, Calvert said the deployment is a partnership between the county, waterway protector River Aid San Antonio, the […]
Osprey Initiative Launches Curbside Recycling Program in Mobile, Alabama – Including Glass Recycling
Mobile, AL – Osprey Initiative is excited to announce the launch of a new curbside recycling program in Mobile, Alabama, designed to enhance the city’s waste management efforts and promote sustainability. Residents currently have the opportunity to participate in this innovative program, which includes the collection of glass recyclables. In partnership with Glass Half Full […]
First phase of Stormwater Litter Management Plan initiated for Capitol Lake
BATON ROUGE, La. — The first phase of a stormwater litter management plan for Capitol Lake was launched on Oct. 7, marking a significant step in addressing plastic pollution in one of Baton Rouge’s critical water systems. Capitol Lake, a 70-acre, man-made, retention basin, has been plagued by severe litter and sediment accumulation due to […]
Osprey Initiative Announces First Impact Report
We are thrilled to share a significant milestone for Osprey Initiative: the release of our very first Impact Report! This comprehensive report highlights the achievements we made in 2023, reflecting our ongoing mission to bridge the gap between intent and action in sustainability. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect in the report: How […]
Fairhope partners with Mobile based environment organization for concrete projects
The Osprey Initiative, an environmental organization located in Mobile, teamed up with the City of Fairhope in September to implement recycled glass in concrete projects for the Flying Creek Nature Preserve. This project is a way to make unused glass purposeful by using it to create sustainable infrastructure. The Osprey Initiative collects the glass, which […]
Fairhope accepting recycled glass into concrete for Flying Creek Nature Preserve
FAIRHOPE — The City of Fairhope is partnering with the Osprey Initiative to collect recyclable glass products to be turned into concrete for Flying Creek Nature Preserve and is accepting glass until Oct 4. “This is the first time that we’ve done anything like this in Fairhope,” said Nicole Love, grants coordinator for the city. […]
Collaborating to clean up Monte Sano Bayou
BATON ROUGE, La.—The Louisiana Stormwater Coalition (LSC), LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, BREC and ExxonMobil successfully “Bashed the Trash” at Monte Sano Bayou, located in north Baton Rouge near Interstate 110 and ExxonMobil’s facility earlier this month. Monte Sano Bayou is part of the BREC park system and is on LSC’s list of critical stormwater demonstration […]
Check out these Litter Gitters + other unique ways to keep our waterways clean
Every time it rains, trash thrown out of vehicles or dropped on the ground washes through the stormwater drainage system into Jefferson County’s beautiful waterways. Thankfully, since December 2019, “Litter Gitters” installed throughout the county have helped remove over 11.5 tons worth of litter from our rivers and creeks—mostly styrofoam cups and plastic bottles. Jefferson County Commission and Osprey Initiative have teamed […]
Catch It If You Can: New ‘Litter Gitter’ Installed to Capture Trash Before It Reaches Bayview Lake
Don Bates was born to be an outdoorsman. His family in Louisiana was composed of commercial fishermen, largely catching catfish and crabs. “I grew up doing that for fun,” he said. “My life has been around water. It’s always been around water.” It was that love of water that moved Bates to found Osprey Initiative and to […]
Osprey Initiative places fifteenth litter deterrence device in Jefferson County
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – We are on your side with an update on Jefferson County’s effort to clean up waterways in your community. The county is partnering with the Osprey Initiative to place different “Litter Gitter” devices and booms in 15 different locations. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure community members are disposing of […]
Litter collection device installed in Jefferson County creek
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — The Jefferson County Commission is teaming up with an environmental contractor to keep the county’s waterways clean. Osprey Initiative installed a litter collection device across a section of Village Creek behind Docena Cut Off Road on Friday morning. The device is designed to capture trash and other debris as it […]
Osprey Initiative workers remove litter from Buck Creek
ALABASTER – A group of workers joined together on Friday, July 12 to work to keep Alabaster’s Buck Creek clean as part of a continued partnership between the city of Alabaster and Osprey Initiative. The city of Alabaster has partnered with Osprey Initiative for years to keep Buck Creek clean and the city saw workers […]
Jefferson County and Osprey Initiative removing thousands of pounds of litter from local waterways
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – There’s a new project ongoing to keep your drinking water cleaner in Jefferson County. The county is partnering with the Osprey Initiative to place “Litter Gitters” across the county in different streams and creeks. The devices trap litter that finds its way into waterways. The devices have already removed more than […]
Keeping storm drains across Mobile free from debris
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – With hundreds of thousands of drains across the Mobile area, it is easy to overlook them. But, if you take a closer look, some are labeled with a fish, indicating that those drains lead out to local waters. According to the City of Mobile Assistant Engineer Rosemary Ginn, these storm water […]
Osprey Initiative and the University of Houston Downtown Recycling Program
The Osprey Initiative team is proud to share the good work happening at the University of Houston! Our alliance with Coca-Cola helps make this possible. Recycling for local programs is part of our overall strategy to keep litter out of our coastal waters. The University of Houston – Downtown is a model for positive urban […]
Osprey Initiative helps clean up Louisiana’s waterways for ‘Love the Boot Week’
BATON ROUGE — Each year, “Love the Boot Week” comes back around as an effort to motivate the citizens of Louisiana to clean up trash around them. This effort is marked as Louisiana’s largest cleanup and beautification initiative. Organizations from all over the state come together to clean up trash. One of these organizations is […]
“Litter Gitters” are cleaning New Orleans’ waterways
Metro New Orleans is getting extra help catching trash before it winds up in Lake Pontchartrain and then the Gulf of Mexico. Why it matters: Marine debris injures and kills wildlife, creates problems for boats and degrades quality of life for coastal residents, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The big picture: Waterborne garbage from nearly half the country ends up in […]