Trash Trouts™ capture riverborn litter, making cleanups easier, and protecting downstream waterways.
Asheville is a beautiful place to live, but our waterways are threatened by a rising tide of litter. Visit any river or stream in the area, and litter spoils the view and contaminates the water.
Asheville GreenWorks hosts hundreds of cleanups each year, but our staff and volunteers can't be everywhere at once. We created the Trash Trout™ litter collection device to capture waterborne litter and keep it from polluting the water downstream.
Currently, 35 Trash Trouts™ protect waterways in 4 states. Ten of those are maintained in WNC waterways by Asheville GreenWorks volunteer StreamKeepers.
We’re so proud of the early success of this innovative way to clean up waterway litter.
With sufficient capital, we plan to expand both the local and regional presence of Trash Trouts™.
75
Percent of manmade trash in local waterways is stormwater-driven
30
Volunteer StreamKeepers trained to maintain the Trash Trouts™
7,000
Pounds of litter captured by the first ever Trash Trash™ since 2017
4.4
Tons of litter captured by Trash Trouts™ since 2015
GreenWorks created the Trash Trouts™ in 2017, and have done extensive testing and trials to refine the design to adapt it to the real-world needs of the waterway guardians and stormwater managers who are eager to try an innovative solution to the problem of litter.
In 2022, we partnered with the Carolina WaterKeepers Alliance to successfully deploy 15 Trash Trouts™ on creeks and streams across North Carolina. Now that the rave reviews are in, the Trash Trout™ program is ready to grow again.
Your gift will allow us to professionalize the production and distribution of Trash Trouts™ to waterway guardians in WNC and beyond:
Build a new prototype of the Trash Trout™ that is suitable for shipping.
Reach out to the communities most impacted by stormwater-driven litter, especially those that rely on their waterways for drinking water, to partner on Trash Trout™ installations.
Build educational curriculum to help waterway guardians teach their communities about the sources and solutions to waterway litter.
Put into place all the agreements and paperwork we need to ensure that production can begin in earnest.
Donate Now
Your gift helps us put more Trash Trouts™ in vulnerable waterways. Will you give today?
Other Ways to Give
Become a StreamKeeper
Our StreamKeepers are dedicated waterway guardians who take the lead on projects to protect our local waterways.
Join us!
Sponsor a Trash Trout™™™™
Your Trash Trout™ becomes your opportunity to demonstrate to your community that you are investing in innovative solutions to the environmental problems that touch all of us.
Donate Your Pontoon Boat
We can convert old pontoon boats into effective litter traps, Your boat gets a new life inspiring communities to care about their local waterways.