MDEQ deploys litter collectors to South Mississippi

Keeping the Mississippi Sound clean and beautiful is necessary for a thriving environment here in South Mississippi.

In an effort to continue that mission, a pilot project funded by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality deployed litter collectors in four locations this week.

Those locations are the southern branch of Magnolia Bayou in Hancock County, Brickyard Bayou, Canal #1 in Harrison County, and on Bayou Chico in Jackson County.

Cleaning up will positively impact the Mississippi Sound because litter has a huge impact on water quality and causes ecological issues. MSU Director of Coastal and Marine Extension Dr. Eric Sparks said, “The funds will be used to install four litter getters. That’s what you can see behind me. They are in stream litter floating collection devices. They do a really good job at trapping floating litter as it comes down during heavy rain events or when the tides are going in and out. It just helps keep that one spot and then it gets cleaned out a couple times a month.”

MDEQ awarded $162,150 to Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research and Extension Center for the pilot project.