“Litter Gitter” device clearing trash from waterways in Jefferson County
When severe weather strikes, it can make a mess of our homes and neighborhoods and with time, much of that debris makes its way through storm drains into Alabama’s waterways.
‘Litter Gitter’ device installed in Buck Creek Park
ALABASTER — A litter control device known as a “Litter Gitter” was installed in a section of Buck Creek within Alabaster’s Buck Creek Park on Friday, March 11 and will help reduce litter in area waterways. Made possible through an EPA Trash-Free Waters grant awarded through the Freshwater Land Trust in spring 2020, the Litter Gitter […]
Ogeechee Riverkeeper working to protect the Vernon River from litter
Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) in partnership with The City of Savannah, has recently overseen the installation of two litter booms in the Chippewa and Harmon canals. Designed and installed by Osprey Initiative, the booms are floating barriers that trap litter, such as plastic bottles from moving downstream. The booms were purchased thanks to a grant from […]
Fairhope considering litter trap to combat trash in waterways
The city of Fairhope is considering purchasing a litter trap similar to the ones used along some waterways in Mobile. The city’s environmental team has identified a problem spot where a detention pond collects trash along with runoff. “It really can become a bit of a nuisance, particularly after a big rain or a big […]
Fairhope taking proactive approach to litter problem
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WPMI) — Fairhope city officials are hoping to get ahead of the problem as environmental concerns mount in one of Baldwin County’s fastest growing cities. It’s all about that trash you see on the side of the road and other trash that’s carelessly thrown out by so many people. To some it may not […]
Parish gets money for cameras, receptacles to fight litter
Tangipahoa Parish Government will be able to expand its growing litter abatement program, thanks in part to three new grants.
New devices are trapping litter that’s trashing up MS Coast waterways. What to know.
Marine litter is being scooped up in four Coast waterways as part of a pilot project to improve water quality, particularly in the Mississippi Sound. The Coastal Marine Extension Program at Mississippi State University is overseeing the project that has deployed Litter Gitters in four Coast waterways: the southern branch of Magnolia Bayou in Hancock […]
Mississippi tests floating trash traps in coastal bayous
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is using BP oil spill money in a test to see whether floating trash traps placed in coastal waterways can make a big reduction in the amount of litter in the Mississippi Sound. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality wants to learn “if these traps can substantially reduce the amount […]
Garbage was flowing down Louisiana waterways. These trap-like devices caught 2 tons of it
Since the Parish entered a grant-funded partnership with Osprey Initiative, three Litter Gitters in the parish have gathered two tons of garbage.
‘Litter Gitter’: Charlotte environmentalists ask for community help to stop potential flooding
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Earlier this year, the City of Charlotte mandated use of paper bags for leaf collection and encouraged mulching. But if leaves are not properly disposed of, they cause flooding and damage to our waterways. Every time it rains, you’ll find Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones and his team checking out the debris, like […]
Saint Paul Key Club members work to help keep Covington beautiful
St. Paul’s School Key Club members joined forces with Keep Covington Beautiful and the Osprey Initiative installing Litter Gitters, a patented, in-stream litter collection device used to trap floating litter from stormwater runoff.
New abatement project to help clean up Mile Branch, Tchefuncte River
There will soon be a demonstration project to control litter in Mile Branch, one of Covington’s major streams flowing into the Tchefuncte River, thanks to a new Healthy Communities Grant awarded to Keep Covington Beautiful. The project will feature a litter boom that intercepts floating debris in Mile Branch near Pine View Middle School. The […]
Trash Free Waters Project to focus on cleaning up Jones, Carpenter and Pond creeks
Northwest Florida is home to a new estuary program whose mission is restoring and protecting the water quality and natural resources of the Pensacola and Perdido watersheds. The program, known as the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program, is using a $2 million grant to establish a comprehensive conservation management plan. PPBED received funding from the EPA […]
Tarrant is now home to Jefferson County’s 11th Litter Gitter
Last week, Project Litter Gitter installed its 11th “litter gitter” device in Jefferson County and the first in Five Mile Creek and Tarrant, Alabama.
Tarrant’s “litter gitter” installed
TARRANT — Project Litter Gitter partners installed a “litter gitter” device in Five Mile Creek at Chief William C Hewitt Park in Tarrant on Thursday, September 16. ABC Coke, a division of Drummond Company, is sponsoring the litter gitter for one year. Jefferson County has 11 litter gitter’s and this is the first in Five […]
34th Annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup
For 34 years, groups and individuals across the Alabama Gulf Coast have been coming together one day a year to clean up our waterways and shorelines. It’s the Alabama Coastal Cleanup, and the 34th annual event is set for Saturday, Sept. 18. “We are looking forward to a large, coast-wide event. It’s a great way […]
Freshwater Land Trust to install 11th Litter Gitter in Tarrant, 11,000+ pounds of trash collected
Freshwater Land Trust (FLT) and their partners have a lot to celebrate on National Cleanup Day this coming Saturday, September 18th. 11 Litter Gitters In December of 2019, FLT launched Project Litter Gitter, one of the most successful local water quality programs in recent memory. What’s a Litter Gitter? A Litter Gitter is an in-stream litter collection device patented by Osprey […]
Waterways cleanups progress to Milton area
Northwest Florida is home to a new estuary program whose mission is restoring and protecting the water quality and natural resources of the Pensacola and Perdido watersheds. The program, known as the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program, is using a $2 million grant to establish a comprehensive conservation management plan. PPBED received funding from the EPA […]
Osprey removes 100K pounds of floating litter
Osprey Initiative has celebrated a major milestone: removing 100,000 pounds of floating litter from waters. Osprey Initiative, an environmental contractor based in Mobile, Alabama, is owned by Tangipahoa Parish native Don Bates. The company’s team began collecting data in 2017 and now works with partners in nine states to install, maintain and collect data from […]
City makes progress on litter collection, but sources remain problematic
Reviewing his multiple blogs and social media profiles, still archived online after his death in 2016, two things about Rob Nykvist are clear: First, he was an environmentalist. His journal entries, photos and videos, posted between 2011 and 2016, may be the best record of the extent of Mobile’s litter problem during a period when […]
State environmental group eases restrictions for Mobile stormwater management
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The City of Mobile’s efforts to keep stormwater litter under control has paid off. “The City of Mobile has been working a really long time to get our act together on stormwater litter — and we have,” said Chief Resilience Officer Casi Callaway. Callaway told WKRG News 5 the city has […]
Volunteers clear trash in Manchac
An Albany church youth group removed 650 pounds of litter and recyclable items from Manchac this past weekend with the help of Keep Tangipahoa Beautiful and Osprey Initiative. Because of the pandemic, St. Margaret Youth Group Mission Krewe was unable to take its usual week-long summer mission trip. Instead, the 25 high school students, young […]
Bayou Fountain litter boom to be maintained by outside contractor
BREC, the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition, Paddle BR and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation today announced they have entered a partnership to install a boom in Bayou Fountain to clean up litter that washes down the waterway every time it rains.
Mobile tackling city’s litter problem
Thursday, Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced a targeted effort to crack down on the city’s litter problem. Stimpson is up for re-election next month and admits his administration hasn’t solved the trashy issue, despite spending $1 million every year to pick up what people carelessly toss out.
Toledo installs trash traps to keep Lake Erie clean
The goal is to catch the garbage before it can even reach the lake. TOLEDO, Ohio — The city of Toledo is installing seven trash capture devices in waterways within five miles of Lake Erie to catch debris before it even reaches the lake in an effort to keep the lake clean. “By the time […]
A new way to look at litter
It may look like a basket full of trash to most people, but it’s a treasure trove of data to Ellie Mallon, project manager for the Osprey Initiative.
Litter-Gitter now collecting floatable waste in Fayetteville
A new device is helping to clean up floatable waste from Clear Creek in Fayetteville. The city, in partnership with the Osprey Initiative, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, and others, have installed a ‘Litter-Gitter’ across a portion of the waterway to help collect floatable waste from the creek. The device, located on Clear Creek just […]
Litter Gitter has successful 1st year
After one year of being installed at Griffin Brook off Broadway Street, the Litter Gitter litter collection device has collected hundreds of pounds of trash and recyclables. A total of 112.12 pounds of material collected from the Litter Gitter were recycled, and a total of 332.31 pounds of trash were disposed of from the Litter […]
Creek has 900 pounds less litter
Seventeen volunteers collected over 900 pounds of litter and debris from Ponchatoula Creek during a three-and-a-half hour cleanup near the Wadesboro boat launch Saturday. The Osprey Initiative-sponsored event had 12 of Osprey Initiative employees and five locals embarking on the cleanup in kayaks and boats at 8:30 a.m. By noon, volunteers had removed 300 pounds […]
Clam Bayou’s New Litter Gitter
A cage-like device floating in Clam Bayou – dubbed “litter gitter” by scientists – has one job to do: report on the amount and types of waste in Florida waterways. The Osprey Initiative team, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, deployed Clam Bayou’s “litter gitter” on Tuesday, May 4 in an effort to […]