Sh!t We Find
Article 9 - May 10, 2019
Written by Crystal Milburn
Have you ever wondered what kind of trash we find in America’s rivers? Well, if so, you’re not alone! We started tracking things like pounds of trash removed and sh!t we find tracing back to the beginning (1998). Plastic bottles are, by far, the number one thing we remove (see more information on an upcoming volunteer event at the bottom of the page!) but there are a variety of other items that might make you go, hmmm.
And, with so many communities getting their drinking water from rivers, it’s something we can all relate to. In fact, the KWQC news channel 6 recently reported E. Coli in the Quad City area flood waters. Gross!
Do any of these #trashtag items strike you as odd?
- 5-Gallon Buckets 6,047
- 55-Gallon Barrels 9,262.5
- 5th Wheel Trailers 1
- Air Conditioners 71
- Baby Dolls 735
- Bags of Ammunition (lbs) 5
- Bags of Garbage (plastic bottles) 125,703
- Bags of Police Riot Gear 6
- Balls 24,320
- Barge Cable (ft) 29,378
- Barge Line (ft.) 43,655
- Bath Tubs 35
- BBQ Grills 172
- Bicycles 131
- Big Wheels/Kid Bikes 83
- Boats 116
- Bowling Balls 118.5
- Campers 3.5
- Car Engines 20
- Cars/Trucks/Vans 20
- Civil War Mortar Shells 1
- Clown Shoes 2
- Computer Monitors 132
- Computer Printers 1
- Construction Barrels/Cones 438.5
- Coolers 833
- Couches/Recliners 80
- Dishwashers 70
- Duck Decoys 284
- Electric Guitars 2
- Fire Extinguishers 118
- Freezers 125
- Gas Cans/Tanks 592
- Hot Tubs 15
- Hot Water Heaters 355
- Jet Skis 9
- John Deere Combines 1
- Kegs 1
- Lawn Mowers 59
- Life Jackets/PFDs 273
- Mannequin Parts 17
- Mattresses 116
- Messages in Bottles 87
- Microwaves 14
- Milk Crates 1,340
- Motorcycles 12
- Navigational Buoys 735.5
- Outboard Boat Engines 8
- Patio Chairs 321
- Pianos 4
- Prosthetic Limbs 13
- Refrigerators 846
- Safes 29
- Shopping Carts 63
- Shower Stalls 2
- Sinks 146
- Stoves 192
- Styrofoam 16.5 football fields thick
- Sunken Barges 3
- Televisions 369.5
- Tires 87,952
- Toilets 127 + Portable Toilets 36.5
- Tops of School Buses 1
- Tractors 20
- Trash Cans 1,185
- Washing Machines 170
The above list (plus plastic bottles and other miscellaneous debris) all add up to 10,204,714 POUNDS removed (and also prevented from going into our oceans) from America’s rivers!!!! And none of it would be possible without our sponsors, supporters and volunteers!! Every like, comment and share we get on Facebook or Instagram helps. Every call, email or text - count ‘em. Who’s out there wearing our swag - t-shirts, hats and bracelets? You helped. Whether you’re in the boat with us or helping from afar, we have nothing but love for you. Thanks a MILLION from the bottom of our barges!!
PS It’s time to sort our plastic recyclables collected at Alternative Spring Break so, if you’re looking for a volunteer event in Memphis, TN, then we’re also looking for you! Click here to learn more on or before Monday, May 13th!
** A note to the Quad Cities area businesses and residents affected by the flood. We see you, we love you and we are available to help get you back up and running once the waters recede. Just email us at hello@livinglandsandwaters.org. **
