Talking trash

Houstonist is a big fan of the developing parkway system along Buffalo Bayou downtown. The sections that are finished seem very well done, and walking along the bayou from Sabine Street to Allen's Landing — yes, it can be done — gives you a completely new look at the city. Unfortunately, it also gives you a look at a whole lot of trash, as the Chronicle notes today: a parade of aluminum cans, plastic bags, paper, styrofoam containers and other refuse floats down the bayou and collects on its banks, which makes for a not-so-pretty sight. And guess what? You might be contributing to it:

"People are under the misconception that the litter comes from people throwing it into the bayou," said Scott Barnes, conservation director of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. "It comes out of our neighborhoods and our streets and flows through the storm drains directly into the waterway."

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the Bayou Preservation Association and other groups are trying to change things by encouraging people to not litter and targeting businesses in Montrose, the Heights, Memorial and other neighborhoods that drain into the bayou, asking them to be sure their parking lots are clear of trash that could end up in the water. (To get an idea of how much garbage comes into the bayou, pay a visit to the storm sewer outfall near the south end of the Sabine Street bridge along the Sabine to Bagby Promenade — it's surprising and kind of disgusting.)

Along Buffalo Bayou, volunteers regularly pick garbage up by hand, and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership uses a pink trash skimmer boat to help collect stuff that's floating in the water. But Buffalo isn't the only bayou with a trash problem, and its small trash is nothing compared with what's often found in other waterways: According to Eric Ruckstuhl, who heads a cleanup crew for the Bayou Preservation Association, cars, furniture, refrigerators and a variety of big trash have been pulled from the city's bayous. "I haven't found an airplane yet, but I suspect that someday I will," he told the Chronicle.

If you're interested in helping clean up Buffalo Bayou, for Pete's sake, don't litter! And you might want to help Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Bayou Preservation Association, which have opportunities for volunteers to help clean things up.