Osprey Initiative “Litter Gitter”cleaning waters in Ponchatoula

Through a grant from the River Network, PC is partnering with Osprey Initiative, to remove and prevent litter from Tangipahoa Parish waterways.  Using the patented “Litter Gitter” tool from Osprey, floating litter from stormwater runoff is intercepted and captured before it can continue downstream. Litter captured in the device is then separated into vegetative debris, trash and recyclables, weighed and measured.

In 2019 the city of Tangipahoa reported over 150,000 tons of solid waste added to the landfill. Still, large volumes of waste continues to enter the storm drain systems via parking lots and streets, increasing the risk of flooding and polluting the waterways. To reduce this burden, Osprey has installed a “Litter Gitter” on Ponchatoula creek and in 2020 they have recovered 36 pounds of disposable waste, and nearly 25 pounds of recyclable waste, capturing up to 80% of the floatable debris on the creek that otherwise would have gone through the creek and into the environment harming our fish and wildlife.

We love our waterways, they are a major part of our recreation and integral to Louisiana’s economy. Having a partner developing new technologies that allow us to continue to enjoy these beautiful resources is exciting and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

This installation is only temporary due to the small grant received for this project.  PC aims to continue important work all over Southeast Louisiana, but we need your help to do so.