Rumor has it that Bryon Roman decided to clean up an area in his neighborhood on a whim. He posted a before and after picture with a catchy hashtag (#Trashtag) to social media, challenged teens to do the same, and the idea took off. Adults and kids picked up the idea and ran with it. Soon, from around the globe, before and after photos with #Trashtag started popping up on feeds.

trashtag
Bryon’s original post. His friend shared and tagged it in Spanish, sparking the trend

Earth Day is coming up on April 22 and we think it’s a great time to get inspired by the “trashtaggers.” Let’s get Michigan, especially our watershed, represented in the #Trashtag trend. If you participate please add #huronriver to your post so we can re-share to help get the word out. Here are some fun photos of others who have picked up the trend to inspire you.

If you want to focus on protecting the river with your clean-up, we recommend doing a riverbank or creekbank cleanup since that trash is more likely to end up in the water. A lot of litter ends up where roads cross over creeks (or the river) so these are good areas to focus on. If you go to one of these locations, please make sure to watch out for traffic, use gloves, and avoid private property.

Another idea is to clear stormdrains, which lead directly to creeks and the river. If you see litter or debris on the grate, please clear it away. Here are more tips on how to clear stormdrains.

Or, you can head out to wherever the trash takes you. Every clean up counts.

Too busy now? Cleanups are in the hopper

If you are busy now or prefer to focus on litter in the river, you can join us this summer. We are partnering with community groups on a few river clean ups:

When Where  Community Partner 
August 9
7:45-11 am
Dexter-Huron/Delhi  HCMA and Skip’s River Canoe Livery
Interested?
Email Jason here.
August 17
7:30-12:30
Milford  Friends of the Huron, Village Canoe Rental, and Heavner Canoe & Kayak Rental
Interested?
Email Jason here.
August 21
7:45-11 am 
Willow/Oakwoods  HCMA and Motor City Canoe Rentals  Interested?
Email Jason here.
Wednesday evenings, TBD  Ypsilanti  Schultz Outfitters Interested?
Email Jason here.

Thanks and Happy Earth Day, fellow planet dwellers!