A gargantuan trash haul left volunteers with the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society scratching their heads over how much junk people are willing to throw into the bushes to avoid taking it to the dump.
“We went a little deeper and found a lot of trash,” said Robbin Wachell, the society’s president, who said residents are getting more creative in how they get rid of their junk.
Among the items collected in a streamside deep clean last Sunday were a couch, a bicycle, a chair, gardening tools, construction wood, a bag of fish remains, clothing, buckets and the usual bottles, cans, food wrappers and cigarettes.
Sometimes, discarded plants were found, which could be a problem if the introduced species takes over an area, as have English ivy and lamium, which were both popular ground covers until they became invasive species.
Wachell said this is the first time in years the group has gone so far along the creek to pick up litter and the result was one of the largest hauls in recent memory.
The group was also able to assess the creek health and to remove any blockages created by garbage, branches and tree stumps.
