WILMINGTON — Plastic Ocean Project’s Trees4Trash program plants a tree for every 25 pounds of litter gathered during its community cleanups.
In 2023, it collected nearly seven tons of trash and on Thursday will be planting 200 of the 555 trees to be rooted in the community this year. POP needs volunteers from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or anytime in between those hours.
Trees will be planted in the New Hanover County Landfill. The 2-acre area is called “Fran’s Forest” and contains inert debris, such as lumber and roofing materials left over from the 1996 storm, Hurricane Fran.
Landfill director Joe Suleyman said the project is moving along better than anticipated. It began 12 years ago, when the department committed to establish habitat restoration areas on unused property at the landfill.
“With POP’s amazing team of volunteers, we’ve very close to realizing that vision two decades ahead of schedule,” he said in a press release. “It’s truly amazing seeing the transformation of those areas over the past few years. Now it hosts deer, racoon, fox, squirrels, wild turkeys, and more!”
Tours are often conducted to show the community the natural, peaceful space.
POP’s Trash4Trees program began after Hurricane Florence impacted the area’s tree canopy
According to theNC Forest Service: “Although a category one storm, Florence caused more than $70 million in damage to an estimated 1,251,312 acres of forested land.”
The trash collected by POP prevents clogs in storm drains, and pollution from reaching creeks, ponds, rivers, waterways and the ocean. POP focuses on eradicating plastic pollution via research and collaborative solutions to address the issue.
Volunteers can sign up here.
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