
TRASH FACTS
WHAT CAN I DO? | GETTING INVOLVED | TRASH FACTS | STATEWIDE TRASH PROVISION
SANTA ROSA | WINDSOR | HEALDSBURG | CLOVERDALE | UKIAH | GUERNEVILLE
How does it get there?
The five primary ways trash enters a creek or river are:
Trash in the street can flow into a storm drain during a rainstorm or when potable water is discharged. (i.e. over irrigating, car washing, hydrant breaks, etc.).
Direct littering in or adjacent to waterways.
Wind-blown trash from City streets.
Large scale illegal dumping next to or in waterways.
Direct disposal of trash into waterways from vessels such as commercial, military, fishing, or recreational boats.
Studies show most trash is generated on land, and the primary way it is transported to our waterways is through the storm drain system during rain events.
If you see an unlawful discharge or dumping on our creeks, please report. Visit https://www.streetstocreeks.org/spill-numbers for more information.
Types of Trash
According to the California Coastal Cleanup, an annual statewide cleanup event, data collected from 1988 through 2023 show the top 10 most common types of trash found in beaches, rivers, and creeks are:
Cigarettes/Cigarette butts (35.34%)
Single-use food wrappers/containers (10.9%)
Bottle caps/lids (9.28%)
Plastic/Paper bags (7.25%)
Cups/Plates/Utensils (5.34%)
Straws (4.04%)
Glass bottles (3.15%)
Plastic bottles (2.77%)
Cans (2.41%)
Construction materials (1.71%)
In 2024, 46,201 volunteers joined for Coastal Cleanup Day and removed 398,654 pounds of trash from beaches, rivers, and creeks!
Microplastics
Microplastics have recently been identified as a major pollutant in our waterway. As plastics break down, they do not disappear, but rather become smaller pieces that are extremely difficult to remove from our environment. These plastics can be ingested by humans and other organisms, causing a bioaccumulation of toxins in the body over time.
When microplastics continue to breakdown they become nanoplastics. For reference, these plastics particles are about the size of a virus microbe and can only be seen through a high magnification microscope. These nanoplastics are easily ingested and inhaled by humans and animals and can accumulate in cells, disrupting their ability to function properly and cause inflammatory reactions. Due to their microscopic size, it has been difficult for science to fully understand or study the impacts on nanoplastics on human and animal health
