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 has been installed in the county’s Comanche Park and another in the city’s Martin Luther King Park. The booms are the result of a partnership between Bexar County, City of San Antonio, River Aid San Antonio, Osprey Initiative and Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages.
A small group of representatives from each of the partnering organizations showcased the litter boom at Comanche Park on Friday.
The litter booms, which were inspired by oil spill containment booms, can stop hundreds of pounds of litter from floating down a local creek, said Charles “Charlie” Blank, executive director of River Aid San Antonio.
Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4) called the installation of the two booms a meaningful step toward the city and county’s environmental goals.
“This should be a pilot that we very quickly implement into the next fiscal year budget across the county and the city, statewide and federally,” Calvert said.
Funding came from Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages. While the booms themselves each cost about $2,500, the company has invested roughly $50,000 into the local effort, said Abraham Tueme, director of sustainability for Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages. Osprey produced the booms and River Aid San Antonio will manage the trash and clear the booms twice a month.
River Aid looked at eight potential locations for the booms to be installed before choosing the two parks within the Salado Creekway system.
Tueme said Coca-Cola has helped install Osprey Litter Booms in several cities across Texas including Houston and Dallas.
“It’s an honor that we’re able to invest in our communities and we’re able to do these projects,” he said. “We want to make sure that we do our part, that we contribute.”
This story originally appeared on the San Antonio Report by Lindsey Carnett. You can view the original story online here.
