Who picks up the trash after big storms in Rhode Island?
There are few incentives in the Ocean State for people to pluck up the bountiful bottles and other trash clogging local waterways. It becomes even more obvious after a tempest like Tropical Storm Elsa floods urban streets, rivers, and lakes. PROVIDENCE  In 10 US states and one territory , many bottles, cans, and containers made of glass, metal, or plastic is as good as gold. It can be turned in for up to a dime a pop. Discarded items float into stormwater drains or waterways that carry them like a conveyor belt of trash to the sea. Advertisement  And he state isnt responsible for the cleanup of litter that gets washed into the waterways. That burden falls on eco-conscious Rhode Islanders who are underdogs in the fight against potentially recyclable refuse. We focus on pollutants, rather than the debris, said Angelo Liberti, administrator of Surface Water Protection for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protections Office of Water Resources. A lot of our work is on metals or nutrients that are dissolved and carried in stormwater. There are provisions in the designs for debris-like things.  Rhode Island municipalities are required to obtain permits for their storm drains, Liberti said. The street-level outflows  meant to stop larger debris  often drain out in local waterways or stormwater detention basins beside highways. They arent highly effective, Liberti said. The outlet structure is designed to keep floating debris within the pond. Then you have to go in and periodically remove it.  That doesnt always happen. A lot of times we dont realize how bad something is until something breaks, said Mike Healy, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Management. One of the problems in a state like Rhode Island, an old state with an old system, is you cant keep taking a bandaid approach.  Advertisement  The deluge of stuff youve seen at the Blackstone River, its quiet, but in its own way the biggest environmental problem we have.  A 1990 report by the Environmental Protection Agency called the Blackstone River the most polluted river in the country with respect to toxic sediments.  There are countless ways for trash pollution to reach waterways that dont include stormwater drains, according to Healy. Spillover from garbage trucks or uncovered truck beds, outdoor events, illegal encampments, the wind, dumping on land or in creeks, leaving sports balls or propane tanks outdoors during flood events, and scavenging can all lead to trash ending up in the water. The R.I. Department of Environmental Management offers an explainer on how garbage gets into certain Rhode Island waterways. R.I. Department of Environmental Management  Topher Hamblett, director of advocacy at Save The Bay, says there is no formal state or municipal cleanup efforts. Its left to groups like Saves the Bay to pick up what everyone else throws into the ground and river, he said. There are some good-hearted people who do that but not enough to keep up with the demand.  Fixing Rhode Islands problem with pollution will require changes in behavior, according to Hamblett. A bottle deposit program  dubbed the bottle bill  would give value to plastic, metal and glass containers. Of the 10 states  California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Vermont  most offer a nickel a bottle. Rhode Island and New Hampshire are the only New England states that offer nothing. The General Assembly has considered legislation the past two sessions, but it hasnt advanced beyond the committee hearing stage. Advertisement  Bans on polystyrene food containers  commonly used for take-out food, but also for egg cartons and coffee cups. Maine has banned polystyrene, which contains petroleum and other chemicals harmful to people. . The Rhode Island Senate this year passed a ban on single-use plastic bags, but the legislation stalled in the House. These bags are typically used at supermarkets and convenience stores, and degrade into small pieces called microplastics that are now found in all state waterways. The biggest challenge in all of this is behavior, Hamblett said. We have become a throw-away society. People need to be aware of the impacts of their actions and even call out others who are littering.  In addition to coastal cleanups, Save The Bay marks catch basins with messaging to remind people Dont Dump. Drains to the Bay, to raise awareness. July Lewis, volunteer and internship manager at Save The Bay, said people have always littered. She admits its a complex issue with no easy solution. The group has thousands of volunteers who participate in international cleanup efforts where they document every item they pick up. Its a good question about responsibility, but one quick answer to that is no one person can do it, she said. Its too big of a problem.  Save the Bay volunteers gather trash during a cleanup event at Fields Point, Providence in 2020. A number of communities have created action groups to clean up watersheds, such as the Blackstone River Watershed Council and the Woonsaquatucket Watershed Council. Advertisement  Alica Lehner, executive director for the Woonsaquatucket Watershed Council, cleans up the Greenway Bike Path and parts of the Providence River. They operate a trash skimmer that picks up a minimal amount of debris on the Providence River near the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. We do it because its the right thing to do, Lehner said. As an environmental nonprofit its our mission to create wonderful livable communities. Trash is one of those things that makes it really a horrible place to live.  Johnathan Berard, the R.I. director for Clean Water Action, said the lack of legal mechanisms has left everyone pointing fingers at other people to handle trash pollution. His group is pushing for policies to keep trash out of the waterways, and on the back end do cleanups. All of the blame falls to end-users, Berard said. If only people wouldnt litter, if only people recycled properly, if only we had a better wastewater infrastructure. Its all end-of-pipe solutions and they dont work.          Carlos Muoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ReadCarlos.