What will win the title of “Strangest Trash from Our 2024 Cleanups”?
From our waterways to your screens: Meet the most peculiar litter we bagged at our cleanup events around the Potomac region
IS THIS CLEANUP FIND A CABLE REEL FROM A CONSTRUCTION SITE OR THE REMNANTS OF A GIANT CROSS STITCH PROJECT? YOU DECIDE!
We've all been there: You’re out enjoying an afternoon stroll, pedal, or paddle in your local park when that bubble of bliss is burst by the sight of litter. For the rest of your outing, it’s all you can see. The question won’t leave your mind:
“Can we turn the tide against trash?”
The good news is we can and we are, together! Community cleanups pack a lot of power into a little effort, bringing an immediate, tangible positive impact to the nature we cherish. Our cleanup events offer a hands-on way to deepen your appreciation for the Potomac’s wonderful waterways and wild spaces while connecting with nature-loving neighbors.
While it’s admirable to get outside and pitch in to protect our drinking water and wildlife, make no mistake... our cleanups can also be a lot of fun! Our volunteers are always snapping pictures of the unexpected, peculiar, and downright baffling items they bag at cleanup sites.
Our final cleanup event of the year is in the books, and before we ramp up for 2025, let’s take a moment to look back on 2024’s strangest trash moments.
🛠️ Our biggest fixer-upper finds…
Winner: A disassembled shed found in Kenilworth Park at our November 30th cleanup
Runner up: This “build your own” bike recovered at Gravelly Point at our April 20th Earth Day weekend cleanup
🪑This pair is most likely to help you throw a dinner party on a shoestring budget…
Winner: A perfectly respectable-looking chair pulled from at our November 11th cleanup
Runner up: This camping chair will do in a pinch! Bagged at our Roaches Run cleanup on October 21st
🧺 It’s safe to say these items have been honorably retired from cookout season…
Winner: Our cleanup volunteers reclaimed this grill—which has undeniably seen better days—on February 10th at Anacostia Park.
Runner up: Life by the river was no picnic for this table, which was removed from Theodore Roosevelt Island on January 13th.
🛞 The best pair of wheels…
Winner: This scooter had a dramatic farewell ride before being picked up from Gravelly Point at our June 7th cleanup.
Runner up: A literal pair of wheels bagged up at our Four Mile Run cleanup on January 13th. Hard to beat a classic!
🚦 Strayed furthest from the winding road…
Winner: This traffic barrel, scooped up on November 9th’s Four Mile Run cleanup, looks like it’s seen a LOT of life.
Runner up: Volunteers found a slew of high-vis litter at our Fort Chaplin Park cleanup on October 21st!
🤾 These finds are the most fun finds for a day along the river, not in it…
Winner: We found plenty of sports equipment at our staff cleanup at Daingerfield Island on March 14th!
Runner up: This Frisbee, found at our Roaches Run cleanup on October 21st, is practically good as new!
🛒 Without a doubt, these are the most creative uses of cleanup finds…
Winner: Lugging trash bags is no sweat when you can load them into a shopping cart! Recovered at our Four Mile Run cleanup on November 9th.
Runner up: Volunteers didn’t waste this bike’s wheels at our November 11th cleanup!
🚯 2024’s most memorable trash piles…
We encountered both of these heaps at our November 11th cleanup!
Winner: Volunteers stumbled upon a surprising amount of furniture dumped in this park.
Runner up: Though tires roll up to almost all of our cleanups, they showed up in great numbers this time!
✨ And litter-ally the Strangest Trash of 2024… ✨
(drumroll on a salvaged traffic barrel)
🥉 In third place… this Grecian-style birdbath, which deserves a better home than the river bed if you ask us!
🥈 In second place… an exit sign that was probably needed much more where it started than where it ended up!
🥇 And the winner of 2024’s strangest trash… this stately entertainment center, which will no longer be spinning DVDs with the fishes!
If you enjoyed this gallery of fascinating trash finds, you have hundreds of amazing Potomac Conservancy volunteers to thank.
Over the past year, our dedicated crew of river champions removed several tons of harmful litter from parks around the Potomac region. We’re grateful for everyone who came out this year in the name of clean water, thriving wildlife, and healthier communities!
We’ll be announcing the total trash collected in 2024 very soon—stay tuned!