Solution for Trash at Bedford Boat Launch?

Yesterday I was contacted by fellow kayaker Lisa H. concerning a solar powered trash compactor she saw at the Concord River Boat Launch in Bedford.  Since I was planning to get in a last Daylight Savings Time paddle, I decided to check out the compactor at the same time.  The receptacle is made by BigBelly Solar and, due to compaction, will hold five times its non-compacted volume.  This boat launch receives heavy use by boaters and fishermen and there is usually a considerable amount of trash laying around on the ground as folks just can't seem to conform to the 'Carry In/Carry Out' policy.  Today the area was noted to be relatively trash free.  Kudos to the Town of Bedford for this creative attempt to resolve the problem!

Before I launched, I asked a shore-fisherman at the Bedford site if he'd had any luck.  He answered by showing me this 14-lb carp he'd just recently caught...

He got it from the middle bottom of the river.

Today's patrol was upriver to Buttricks Hill where I'd turned around last Wednesday.  The Carlisle side of the Rt. 225 bridge had a fair amount of trash that appeared to be emanating from leaking "trash pinatas" such as these...

On my way back downriver, I saw a bald eagle near Davis Hill.  By the time I'd fumbled with my camera the eagle was just a black and white speck in the photo's center...

Other wildlife seen today were these buffleheads...

and this unfortunate white-tailed deer...

Perhaps a casualty of the now underway deer hunting season?

Back at the Bedford Boat Launch my trash haul assembled hullside...

There were 41 recyclable containers (14 redeemable) and 49 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a Thomas the Tank Engine B-day balloon, a full can of Raid, styrofoam items, and my first bowling pin.  YTD = 6187   (including 9 from the Chelmsford bike trail yesterday).