Loyola, City Partners to Remove 3.5 Tons of Trash from Chicago Waterways

CONTACT 

Gabby Abbott
Loyola University Chicago
gabbott3@LUC.edu
773-369-5358

Tim Touhy
Friends of the Chicago River
ttouhy@chicagoriver.org
773-418-3032

CHICAGO—Loyola University Chicago, in collaboration with leading community and environmental organizations, has been awarded federal funding to remove 3.5 tons of trash from the Chicago River and Lake Michigan over the next three years, tackling one of the city’s most visible and persistent challenges while engaging thousands of Chicagoans in education and outreach.

The new initiative, “Chicago Trash Trap Team: Trapping, Tracking, and Thwarting Litter in Our Waterways,” will coordinate a network of “trash traps” across the Chicago River and Lake Michigan harbors. These interception devices capture floating litter, such as plastic bags, food packaging, and other debris, before it can spread downstream. Loyola and its partners have been collaborating on this issue the past several years. This initiative expands the team’s number of traps, brings in more partners, and deepens the study of local debris, which informs policy decisions. This expansion is set to kick off in spring 2026.

“Chicago’s waterways have shown major improvements in recent decades, but litter is a stubborn problem,” said Timothy Hoellein, a biology professor at Loyola’s College of Arts and Sciences and the project’s lead investigator. “This project will allow Loyola students to collaborate with local nonprofits, government agencies, and community groups to remove trash. Our work aims to find the biggest problems so we can inform strategies that not only reduce trash, but prevent it.”

The three-year project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, brings together partners including Friends of the Chicago River, Shedd Aquarium, Urban Rivers, and the Chicago Park District, along with local businesses and community-based organizations. Together, the team will:

• Trap: Install and maintain 11 trash capture devices across the Chicago River and Lake Michigan harbors.
• Track: Collect and analyze litter to identify sources and trends using international data tools.
• Thwart: Engage residents, schools, and businesses in prevention efforts, education programs, and museum exhibits.

Community involvement is central to the project. Local groups such as the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, McKinley Park Development Council, and Near North Unity Program will help activate neighborhoods near trash trap sites. In addition, Shedd Aquarium and Friends of the Chicago River’s McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum will feature exhibits highlighting the work. Working with Hoellein, Friends of the Chicago River and Wendella Sightseeing Company installed a trash trap two years ago on the Main Stem at their Wrigley Building dock, which collects litter and is featured in their architecture cruises.

“Local litter requires local solutions and a comprehensive approach that helps us reduce the waste stream and litter that ends up in the river,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River (Friends). “Unlike decades ago when Friends and our volunteers were pulling out old tires and building debris, today our volunteers and studies done in conjunction with Dr. Hoellein’s team confirm that 85 percent of the garbage collected is consumer-based plastic with a high percentage of that being food related packaging, water bottles, wrappers, and takeout containers. This grant will enable us to continue to focus more on that rise in plastic pollution and build support and awareness on how to bring it to an end.”

The Chicago Trash Trap Team project aligns with the NOAA Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan, ensuring that findings will contribute to national efforts to reduce plastic and other litter in aquatic environments. Click here to learn more about the Chicago River Trash Trap.

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About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, recognized for its academic excellence, commitment to community engagement, and leadership in sustainability. A Carnegie R1 research institution, Loyola leverages its status as one of an elite group of universities with the highest level of research activity to advance knowledge that serves communities and creates global impact. With 15 schools, colleges, and institutes—including Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences—Loyola operates three primary campuses in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, that provide students a transformative, globally connected learning experience. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is a STARS Gold-rated institution that is ranked as one of the country’s most sustainable campuses by The Princeton Review and has earned distinctions from AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation for its longstanding record of service and community engagement. Guided by its Jesuit mission and commitment to caring for the whole person, Loyola educates ethical leaders who think critically, act with purpose, and strive to create a more just and sustainable world. Visit Loyola Today to find the latest University news.

About Friends of the Chicago River
Friends of the Chicago River, founded in 1979, is the only nonprofit solely dedicated to transforming the 156-mile Chicago-Calumet River system into a thriving, biodiverse, and climate-resilient ecosystem with open, equitable access for all. With more than 45,000 members, volunteers, and online activists, the award-winning organization has been at the forefront of the river system’s recovery and renaissance for more than four decades, protecting and restoring the watershed for people, water, and wildlife. For more information, visit chicagoriver.org.

About Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium is a recognized leader in animal care, education, conservation and science that sparks compassion, curiosity and conservation for the aquatic animal world. Every year, Shedd serves as a portal for millions of guests, bringing them eye-to-eye with belugas and bluegills, stingrays and sturgeons, coral reefs, kelp forests and countless other species from around the world. An accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the organization is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and supported by the people of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the Chicago Park District. www.sheddaquarium.org

About Urban Rivers
At Urban Rivers, we believe that transforming urban waterways into wildlife sanctuaries is not only an important environmental mission, but also a critical social one. Access to nature and greenspace is not equally distributed in our cities, and historically marginalized communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation and pollution. We seek to target and transform historically degraded areas of the Chicago River into lush gardens and public walkways that benefit the communities around them, improving environmental quality and increasing access to nature. We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to connect with nature. We host free field trips, tours, and a variety of programs open to all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and abilities. We recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values that must continue to guide our work in transforming once inaccessible urban waterways into accessible community spaces for all. https://urbanrivers.org

Header image: Debris sorted from one week of trash collection in the Marina Skimmer at Montrose Harbor, in a greenhouse facility at Loyola University Chicago. The organic matter is separated from the trash, which is categorized, and all materials are weighed when dry.