New floating trash trap in Metro Atlanta filters stormwater and grows native plants

A Chamblee neighborhood park is home to a device catching trash, filtering stormwater and growing native plants all at once. 

The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper installed a floating wetland trash trap at Huntley Hills Park. It is only the third installation of its kind in the entire country and the first in Metro Atlanta. 

This new design, with neighbors in mind, is joining a network of 18 other trash traps the organization operates throughout the Chattahoochee River basin. 

The structure consists of 54 interconnected pods floating on the surface of the water leading to Nancy Creek. Steel cables anchor it to both banks, allowing it to rise and fall with changing water levels while blocking floating garbage from drifting downstream. Each pod is filled with native wetland plants whose roots filter out pollutants like phosphorus and nitrogen from the water, eventually making their way to the Chattahoochee River. 

"This trap is pretty special," said Jordan You, the organization's Instream Trash Removal program director. "It catches litter, it filters out stormwater pollution, and it also provides native habitat." 

The 29 native plant species planted within the trap were selected both for their water-filtering root systems and their ability to support local pollinators like butterflies, moths, and dragonflies. The trap was installed on Earth Day in partnership with the City of Chamblee and with support from Cox Enterprises. 

You says the timing matters. Heavy rain events are when litter moves most aggressively into local waterways.

"It is all driven by stormwater," You said. "Rinsing bottles off of streets and parking lots into storm drains, into the creeks."     

Nearby resident David Nimtz said he is encouraged by what he sees with the new trap. 

"This is much more sustainable," Nimtz said. "It's got the plants in it. I really love that." 

The Riverkeeper team visits the trap weekly and cleans it out every two weeks or after major rain events. Annually, maintenance can run a couple of thousand dollars per trap. In 2025, the organization's full network of trash traps removed nearly 5 thousand pounds of litter from local waterways. 

CRK previously installed a floating wetland trash trap in Columbus. You said the Metro Atlanta area could support dozens more.