Reducing Litter in Urban Waterways

Across Raleigh, communities, researchers, and local partners are joining forces to address litter before it enters our rivers and reaches the coast. By combining science, technology, and public engagement, we’re exploring how trash moves through the Marsh Creek watershed and testing real strategies to stop it at the source.

Much of the litter we see on streets, sidewalks, and in parking lots is made up of single-use plastics, such as bottles, wrappers, and containers designed to be used once and then thrown away. These materials are lightweight, durable, and widespread. When it rains, they don’t stay put. Instead, they are swept into storm drains and streams, traveling through our waterways and eventually reaching rivers and the coast.

Together with local partners, researchers, and community members, we’re studying how litter moves through the Marsh Creek watershed—from street to stream—and testing practical solutions to reduce it. From GPS-tracked bottles and in-stream trash traps to behavioral surveys and public education, this project combines science and community action to address stormwater-driven debris. This work aims to create cleaner neighborhoods, healthier waterways, and a toolkit of proven strategies that any city can adopt.

Current Research

Studying Litter Transport in Urban Streams

We’ve released 40 GPS-tracked plastic bottles into Raleigh’s creeks in an effort to find out where litter really goes once it hits our streets and storm drains. These bright, labeled bottles are traveling through our waterways, showing us how plastic moves from neighborhoods to rivers—and possibly all the way to the coast. You can track them in real time, spot them in the wild, and even help by reporting sightings!

Track the bottles

Additional research

Trash Traps

Three trash trap devices have been installed in Marsh Creek to catch plastic before it flows downstream—and to figure out just how much is out there. These in-stream traps will help us track what kind of debris is moving through different parts of the watershed and when. By measuring streamflow and comparing trash collected in areas with different land use and demographics, we’ll learn where to focus cleanup efforts and community outreach. Local volunteers and students will help remove, sort, and log the trash using a national marine debris tracking app—turning cleanup into critical data for change.

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Microplastic Testing

Each month, we’re collecting water samples from three sites in the Marsh Creek watershed and sending them to the Plastic Ocean Project for microplastic analysis. These tiny plastic particles—often invisible to the eye—can tell us a lot about pollution in our waterways and how it might impact ecosystems and human health. We’ll identify what types of plastics are showing up, what form they take (fibers, fragments, films, etc.), and how concentrated they are. Community members will also have a chance to get involved through hands-on sampling events and demonstrations. This data will help us connect the dots between litter on the ground and plastics in our water—and what that means for all of us.

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Why do people litter?

To stop litter at the source, we need to understand what drives it—and what can actually change it. Part of our research involves working with community members, local groups, and behavioral science experts to uncover how people interact with litter in everyday spaces. We’re surveying every road in the Marsh Creek watershed, mapping trash hot spots and scoring street segments. Then, through interviews and on-the-ground observations, we’ll dig into the motivations, barriers, and habits that shape littering behaviors.

Using proven behavior-change models, we’ll design community-driven solutions—from better signage to smarter trash can placement—to test in one subwatershed. Meanwhile, a nearby area will serve as a comparison site, helping us see what really works. By listening, learning, and acting together, we’re building a cleaner, smarter future—block by block.

our partners