(WWJ) Volunteers picked up more trash out of Michigan rivers and streams last year than in previous years, according to state officials.
Tamara Lipsey, an Aquatic Biologist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) says they found and removed 31,000 pounds of garbage in 2023.
Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Greg Bowman, Lipsey talked about what were the most common, and most unusual items found.
"Food wrappers and food containers," she said. "But they always find grocery carts, they find innertubes; some people found kayaks, plastic lawn chairs. In 2023 there was a safe that was not opened that was found, a Barbie car."
One cleanup volunteer even found a body of a homeless man in Traverse City.
The state uses money from a specialty "Protecting our Waters" license plate to pay groups to clean up the rivers.
Why are more people dumping their trash in Michigan waters?
"If I had the answer to why people do it, maybe we could stop people from doing it," Lipsey said. "But, overall... You can't walk out your door without seeing garbage on the ground. Some of it gets there accidently, and unfortunately in streams and rivers, when you find those big things, people are dumping them on purpose."
Michigan has a littering law, and lawmakers pushing legislation to stiffen penalties for littering or dumping large amounts of trash.
