Tails from the trail and tips on training your human

Rivers are vital for our daily lives, providing us with drinking water and food to eat. However, once pristine, our rivers are now becoming polluted every day. This is an issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Many organizations have taken remarkable river cleanup initiatives worldwide to combat this issue. River cleanups play a pivotal role in preventing tons of plastic waste from entering our oceans and helping maintain sustainable ecosystems.

8 Best River Cleanup Initiatives around the World

Here’s a list of the eight best river cleanup initiatives around the world:

1. The Chao Phraya River – Thailand

Chao Phraya translates to “River of Kings,” and is one of the world’s longest and most polluted rivers. A 0.9=mile long canal called Lat Phrao flows from this river while passing through one of Bangkok’s heavily populated communities. Around 120,400 people reside in this region.

TerraCycle Global Foundation, the non-profit branch of US-based recycling company TerraCycle, Inc., took the initiative to clean up the Chao Phraya River in 2020.

They installed two plastic cleanup systems on the canal (with two outstretched booms that have nets attached). The major aim of the two nets is to catch debris that floats below the water. On the other hand, the booms are fitted with a metal collection trap.

The foundation has successfully removed around eight tons of plastic waste from the river so far. On top of that, the foundation also runs a program to educate the people of the Lat Phrao Canal about plastic pollution and how they can reduce it.

2. Tijuana River – Mexico

The Tijuana River connects Mexico and the United States and is considered one of the world’s most polluted rivers. Pollution in this river is a massive concern for the people of Mexico and the US since it’s the major source of drinking water for many of them.

To handle this problem, Wildcoast, a Mexico and California-based non-profit group, has initiated a system across the Laureles Canyon to remove plastic waste from the Tijuana River. This system is called “Brute Broom.” It consists of a floating boom with a metal screen to collect debris.

The group was the first to establish the community’s first recycling initiative. It also runs a program to educate the community people about reducing plastics use.

3. Athi River – Kenya

Chemolex Company, a social enterprise, has come up with the idea to join forces with non-profit Smart Villages to clean up Kenya’s Athi River. They have installed ten plastic-capturing devices along the river and its tributaries – the Ngong and Nairobi rivers.

In addition to that, the company placed fences across the River Athi to divert more than a thousand tons of plastic from the Kenya waterways, which is then removed from the river using a conveyor belt.

After removing the plastic, they use the recycled waste to produce building materials, including roofing, pavement tiles, and plastic fencing poles.

4. Song Hong River – Vietnam

Ocean Conservancy, a US-based non-profit group, is on the mission to clean up Vietnam’s Song Hong River. For this, they have teamed up with the “Center for Marine Conservation & Community Development,” setting up traps to capture debris.

For this quest, they use locally designed, unique cleanup tools that are inexpensive. The traps consist of two floating (with mesh) to guide floating plastic toward a trap attached to the riverbank through a bamboo platform. This allows for easy maintenance and emptying.

This initiative has successfully removed around 992 pounds of floating waste from the Song Hong River to date.

5. The Citarum River – Indonesia

This river ranks among the world’s heavily polluted rivers. Generation Foundation, an Indonesian NGO with Waste4Change and RiverRecycle, established a plastic capture system to remove twenty to a hundred tons of waste daily.

They have placed active concentration modules along the Citarum River to guide debris to a collection point where the waterways can lift it using a collection wheel.

Once the waste is removed from the river, it is used for biofuel. On the other hand, non-recyclable plastic is converted into low-sulfur fuel to support this project financially.

6. Portoviejo River – Ecuador

Ichthion, an award-winning eco-solutions organization, has developed a high-tech idea to clean up the Portoviejo River.
The company has developed the Azure barrier (a floating curtain that operates in rivers and other coastal regions) by combining water-flow dynamics, material and modeling transport, and data on river pollution.

This system has sensors that measure the captured debris to provide policymakers with a useful data source, helping them tackle river pollution challenges.

7. The Kingston Harbor – Jamaica

The Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based organization, has taken steps to clean up Jamaica’s Kingston Harbor River by deploying interceptor technology in the waterway. The interceptor prevents the floating waste from entering the Caribbean Sea.

In addition, barrier and conveyor systems extract debris from gullies and return it to the shore for disposal or recycling. On top of that, the organization has teamed up with local NGOs to educate the Kingston community about reducing plastics use.

8. Juan Diaz River – Panama

The Juan Diaz River is among the world’s most polluted rivers. This pollution problem needs to be addressed before it’s too late. Keeping this in mind, Marea Verde, a Panama-based non-profit organization, installed a water-wheel-powered system to capture debris associated with this river.

The organization has placed barriers along the river to divert plastic waste to a collection point, where waterways will lift it using an electrical conveyor belt. Once the waste is lifted, the waterways will take it to the shore for recycling and proper disposal.

On top of that, the system also uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to categorize the collected waste, improving the project’s data collection capabilities.

Wrapping Up

Rivers are a vital source of sustenance, providing clean drinking water and food to eat. However, nowadays, more and more rivers are becoming polluted. This pollution also impacts the biodiversity and ecosystems of the rivers. It’s an issue that we need to address as soon as possible. People need to take inspiration from the river cleanup initiatives mentioned above to tackle river pollution challenges before it’s too late.

by Bobby J Davidson

We are in business to provide great products for the outdoorsy hikers, campers and their dogs; and to help clean our parks, rivers and oceans for a better planet earth for hikers and their dogs.

Parks Clean

Parks are high-traffic areas in most cities. This means that trash is bound to show up in and around your park and playground.

When discussing ways your family can help clean your local park, don’t overlook a literal cleanup! Picking up trash will make a huge difference in the appearance and vibe of your park. A clean area will encourage others to keep the park pristine. When picking up trash and debris, make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself, and put trash in appropriate receptacles or lawn bags. You can also contact your local trash company to schedule a pickup when you are finished.

Rivers Clean

The storm drain on your street collects the water from your roof, driveway, and sidewalk and funnels it directly in your local lake or river. Nutrients from grass and leaves, pet waste, and fertilizers “enrich” our lakes and streams — feeding algae blooms and harming fish. Chemicals from washing your car in the drive and household chemical spills add up, taking a nasty toll on our favorite swimming areas and fishing spots. Soil can also be picked up by runoff, reducing the clarity of water and hurting fish.

So as you prepare your lawn and garden, here are a few helpful tips to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful and safe for all of us.

Use mulch and vegetation to keep soil from washing away.
Sweep or rake grass and leaves away from street curbs.
Mulch and compost grass clippings and leaves.
Keep paved surfaces to a minimum.
Capture water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels.
Wash your car on the grass, where the water will get filtered.
Keep chemicals away from storm drains.
Collect your pet’s waste.
Aim your rain-gutter downspouts onto grass.

Beaches Clean (do it for the ocean)

In 2007, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Clean Beaches Week Resolution to recognize the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States.

Clean Beaches Week, celebrated annually July 1-7, offers the perfect opportunity to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines. But where do you even begin? Follow these tips to get started.

Identify a clean-up site. Choose a place that needs some TLC, making sure that volunteers can safely access the site. Get permission, if needed, for your clean-up event, perhaps from the local parks agency.
Choose a site coordinator. (That might be you!) A beach clean-up takes a lot of work and needs an organized person to keep everything on track before, during, and after the event.
Visit the site in advance. The coordinator will need to know where to set up a volunteer check-in station, where to leave trash and recyclables, and what area(s) volunteers will clean.
Gather supplies. Depending on your location, you’ll need supplies such as trash bags, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, wipes, and large coolers of water. You should also provide (or ask volunteers to bring) items such as reusable work/garden gloves, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Plan how to handle the recyclables. Reach out to recyclers in your area (and perhaps your community’s solid waste departments) to make arrangements for accepting any glass, plastic, and aluminum that you collect.
Line up event partners. Contact local businesses for donations of drinks, food, and supplies. Ask a local solid waste hauler to donate their services for trash removal.
Plan for handling hazardous waste. Determine how you’ll dispose of any medical and sewage waste you might find. One solution: A wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Clearly label that it contains hazardous waste.
Get volunteers to help. Recruit friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Create an event on Facebook and ask volunteers to sign up online. This will give you an idea of how many people to expect and will help communicate event details.
Stay safe. Be prepared for a variety of health emergencies, from minor cuts and scrapes to heat stroke.
Take photos! Post pics online to share the success of your event and recognize volunteers for their hard work.