A local nonprofit is rolling out a “Trash Free Brazos” initiative to stem the tide of trash that washes each year from Waco downstream to the Gulf of Mexico. Keep Waco Beautiful is partnering with the environmental nonprofit Gulf of Mexico Trust to address sustained waste issues that stretch beyond Waco, affecting downstream ecosystems and ultimately the Gulf. The initiative will include an intense focus on waterway cleanups in 2025, along with data collection that will be added to the Texas Litter Database operated by Keep Texas Beautiful.
Carole Fergusson, executive director of Keep Waco Beautiful, said the effort builds on the nonprofit’s 45-year legacy of community-driven beautification and sustainability. “We’re launching with an educational campaign this fall to engage the community,” Fergusson said by phone Wednesday. “Our regular cleanups have shown us just how much of this trash isn’t even local — everything from Kroger bags to abandoned furniture, including an entire couch we found in April.
” Keep Waco Beautiful already schedules quarterly cleanups of the Brazos River, but Fergusson said this project may make cleanups a monthly event. She said the organization's final cleanup of the river for the year took place on Sept. 28, but she would like it to host up to five between January and May.
Fergusson noted that they schedule cleanups around Central Texas’ unpredictable weather to maximize participation and effectiveness. Volunteers tackle variou.
