trash free mystic
Trash Free Mystic is an initiative to reduce short-term and long-term impacts of trash in our rivers through public education, stewardship, data collection and collaboration
How Does Trash Get into Our Rivers?
There are two major pathways through which trash gets into our rivers — stormwater pipes and wind. The Mystic River watershed is one of the most urban watersheds in New England, 46 % of our land area is made up of impervious surfaces like streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. When it rains, trash is flushed or blown from these surfaces into our rivers and streams.
Trash caught in a storm drain.
Trash scattered at Gateway Park in Everett. Credit: Isaiah Johnson
Why Should We Care About Trash?
Trash is one of the most visually apparent forms of pollution in our environment. Littered streets, parks, and waterways not only detract from the beauty of our communities but can also lead to serious environmental issues.
Microplastics
public health
A significant portion of the trash found in our water bodies consists of single-use plastics, which are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Items such as plastic bags, cling wrap, water bottles, straws, and food packaging are all designed for one-time use, making them convenient for consumers. However, when discarded in the environment, single-use plastics break down into smaller particles known as microplastics, which can enter the food chain through marine life.
An obstructed and storm drain causing flooding
flooding
When trash accumulates, it can clog storm drains, preventing water from draining efficiently. This blockage can result in flooding during heavy rains, causing damage to infrastructure and posing risks to public safety.
Credit: David Mussina
under-regulation
Trash is often not specifically addressed in water quality permits. This oversight can lead to insufficient management practices toward reducing trash entering our stormwater systems. As the impact of trash pollution becomes more recognized, it is essential to advocate for stronger regulatory measures that hold municipalities accountable for trash management as part of their stormwater permits.
Goals
To reduce the amount of escaped trash that is getting to rivers, streams, and lakes
To measure the amount of plastic coming off the urban landscape
To work with municipal governments, residents, and other regional stakeholders to come up with large-scale policy, legal, and engineering solutions to reduce trash inputs to the Mystic River.
Current Projects
Volunteer mapping of trash density helps us understand the sources and composition of trash in the watershed.
Help us remove trash from the streets and in our parks before it has a chance to be washed into the Mystic River.
A Trash Trap in the Malden River captures trash and prevents it from floating further downstream.
Educational programs and materials help spread the word about ways to reduce stormwater pollution.
Resources
Join us in tackling this problem that will take many people pushing in many different directions to bring about positive change.
A Waste Resource Guide for Mystic Municipalities
While it’s important to work to reduce and divert household waste through, for example, reuse, upcycling, and composting, this is not always possible. That’s why it’s so important that we work to dispose properly of the waste we do produce, as improper disposal pollutes the environment—especially our rivers.
The majority of plastic in the ocean comes from rivers, and this plastic waste is most often carried directly into our rivers by stormwater. Waste from the street is picked up by the water and is transported through stormwater drainage pipes directly into the Mystic. Beyond plastic trash, pet waste can cause significant bacterial contamination of our waterways, and yard waste that may have been treated with herbicides or pesticides contributes to excess phosphorus contamination, which leads to algal blooms and invasive plant growth.
Everyone can help protect the river from pollution by building an awareness of the waste disposal procedures where they live. Below, we’ve compiled a list of links to the waste disposal information for every municipality in the Mystic River Watershed so that we can continue protecting our river through proper waste disposal!
Compiled by Lucy Kates
A few big things we know about plastic pollution:
Half of all plastic ever made has been produced since 2005
Recycling captures less than 10% of all plastic waste, and the majority of that gets “downcycled,” only delaying its becoming waste
Plastic in the oceans is a huge and growing environmental problem.
Most plastic in the ocean comes from rivers.
Most plastic in the river comes from the land, through the stormwater system.
We are at the beginning of a huge collective environmental problem, not the end of it.
