Boom or bust

A Baltimore nonprofit tackles plastic pollution on the Back River

By Jake Solyst |
Since 2011, the Back River Restoration Committee has removed over six million pounds of litter and debris from the river and its banks. The nonprofit expects 2024 to break records for the amount of trash removed. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
The trash boom runs under the I-695, close to where Herring Run meets the Back River. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Lewis is a board member of the Back River Restoration Committee and joined the boom crew in the summer of 2023. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
A killdeer visits the Back River, just downstream of the Baltimore Beltway. The riverbank where litter gets collected is also popular among birders for the wealth of species that can be found. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Bottles collect next to the riverbank, in a tricky spot that the BRRC crew hasn't been able to reach. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Like most trash in the river, a child's deflated play ball probably washed into the water during a storm. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Over three hours, Lewis and Schilpp collect about a dozen large bags of trash. "I would like my kids to have a clean and healthy ecosystem to use for recreation, for food," Lewis said. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
The 68th Street Superfund Site on one side of the river has caused the tributary to narrow. When it rains, excess trash is flooded onto the land where it gets lost in the vegetation. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Lewis gets ready to tie up the barge at the end of the day. Trash is put into a dumpster and taken to the tump once a week. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

Tags:

Comments

Leave a comment:

Time to share! Please leave comments that are respectful and constructive. We do not publish comments that are disrespectful or make false claims.