Boone has recently installed its first Trash Trout on Winkler Creek, a passive litter collection device designed to trap floating debris and plastics before they can flow further downstream. This initiative, led by MountainTrue’s Watauga Riverkeeper in collaboration with the Town of Boone, is part of a broader effort to keep North Carolina’s waterways clean.
The Trash Trout, created by Asheville GreenWorks, uses booms to guide trash into a large floating cage, allowing smaller organic matter and aquatic life to pass through. The goal is to reduce the amount of litter entering the water, much of which eventually breaks down into harmful microplastics.
This project aligns with MountainTrue’s microplastics data collection program, which tracks and analyzes plastic waste in waterways across the state. With more Trash Trouts planned for the New and Watauga River basins, the hope is to raise awareness about plastic pollution and its effects on local ecosystems.
For more details on Boone’s Trash Trout and the broader impact of this initiative, read the full article here from High Country Press.