Researchers armed with GPS‑enabled plastic bottles took aim at Marsh Creek on Tuesday, hoping to illuminate how everyday litter in the capital city winds up polluting North Carolina’s rivers, sounds and, eventually, the Atlantic Ocean.
Twenty bottles, each fitted with a tracker and a scannable QR code, were dropped into the water off Stony Brook Drive at 10 a.m. The high‑tech launch is part of a NOAA‑funded study led by North Carolina Sea Grant, NC State University and a coalition of local nonprofits and agencies.
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“We’re here see how far this litter ends up traveling down the creek,” said Barbara Doll, an NC State engineering professor who specializes in water‑quality research. “Each time it rains, litter that’s in parking lots, along roads and sidewalks washes into storm drains that connect directly to the creek.”
Creek experiment tackles a global problem
Scientists estimate between 1.15 million and 2.41 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year, much of it carried by rivers. North Carolina’s seven major river basins (Marsh Creek feeds into the Neuse River) channel nearly all that runoff into the Albemarle‑Pamlico Estuary, the second‑largest estuary in the continental United States.
An April 15 test run released 10 bottles into Marsh Creek and 10 into neighboring Crabtree Creek. Some bottles traveled more than 25 miles within a few weeks, underscoring how quickly trash can migrate downstream.
“It’s really easy to forget that this trash actually has an impact on our environment,” Madison Haley, an NC State doctoral student helping run the project, said. “It’s not only ugly, it’s harmful to our health and our environment’s health, and it’s really expensive. It’s a burden on our taxpayers.”
The North Carolina Department of Transportation spent more than $56 million on litter cleanup in 2023 alone.
Microplastics on the menu
Plastic breaks down slowly, shedding microscopic fragments that can absorb toxins and enter the food chain.
“Research has shown that these organisms accumulate these microplastics, so this could end up on our plate,” Doll said.
A previous NC State study found microplastics in every sample collected at 15 sites along the Neuse River, indicating a direct link between terrestrial litter and contaminants found in coastal waters.
Citizen science invited
Each bottle includes a QR code, allowing anyone who finds one to scan it, upload a photo, and log the location, helping researchers verify GPS data and involve the public in the process. Citizens are asked to leave the bottle in place after scanning; researchers will handle the final retrieval.
The larger project also involves trash counts, water sampling and behavioral studies aimed at preventing litter from entering storm drains in the first place. Partners include the City of Raleigh, Wake County and grassroots groups like The Great Raleigh Cleanup.
A live map showing every bottle’s position updates automatically on the NC Sea Grant website. Project leaders plan additional releases in different weather conditions later this year to see how rainfall and streamflow affect travel speed and distance.