Nashville Seeking Source Of Plastic That Has Littered Mill Creek

The city of Nashville is trying to determine the source of a downright mess in Mill Creek.

Plastic bags, cutlery, cups and take-out containers are littering the greenway of Whitsett Park. Councilmember Ginny Welsch says when she visited the scene, almost everything was covered in black and white plastic.

“It almost looks like somebody TP’ed the whole place with trash bags, if you can imagine that,” she says. “It’s just, it’s just hanging everywhere. Everywhere. And on the ground and in bushes, just jumbled up everywhere.”

Despite the extensive amount of waste, Welsch is advising against independent cleanup efforts at the moment. She says floodwater can carry dangerous chemicals and bacteria, and it’s unclear what the detritus may have been exposed to.

The city is reaching out to a company located at the merge of Mill Creek and Seven Mile Creek to determine if it’s responsible and whether it’s liable for cleanup costs. It’s unclear when major efforts to clear the plastic from along Mill Creek will begin.

Meanwhile, a three-hour volunteer cleanup effort of Whitsett Park is scheduled for Friday. The signup is being run by Hands On Nashville.