Surovell holds annual creek cleanup, takes aim at big box retailers for role in mess

May 7, 2018 Community News
Pile of trash in stream
(Courtesy of Scott Surovell)
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State Sen. Scott Surovell hosted his annual cleanup of Little Hunting Creek on Saturday, and he wasn’t shy about calling out some local businesses whose property was pulled from the water.

Surovell, who shared videos and images of the cleanup on social media as it was in progress, noted the four shopping carts removed from the creek were from three nearby retailers — Walmart, Costco and Shoppers Food Warehouse. He expressed particular frustration with Costco, saying that 10 of their carts have been pulled from the creek since the store opened in 2013.

“The shopping carts are especially disappointing given that I have repeatedly brought this issue to Wal-Mart’s attention and they installed a cart control system.,” Surovell said in a Monday press release. “Unfortunately, the recovered carts were not equipped to function with their control system … I also warned Costco about this problem before they built their store and asked them to install an electronic cart control system after Fairfax County refused to mandate it through a proffer and they refused, insisting that they had ‘different customers’ than Wal-Mart.”

The cleanup, which is organized in conjunction with the Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the Alice Ferguson Foundation, removed enough trash to fill 123 bags — more than 2,000 pounds, according to Surovell. More 35 volunteers took part, including students from Mount Vernon High School, West Potomac High School and Carl Sandburg Middle School.

Surovell also credited Robert O’Hanlon’s Tree Service for helping to pull the shopping carts out of the muck. 

Surovell said plastic bottles, food containers and plastic bags made up a large part of the haul, and noted that the bigger items taken from the creek included the following:

  • Three bicycles and one tricycle
  • Five tires
  • Over 30 balls
  • Two children’s vehicles
  • Two lawn chairs
  • One snow shovel
  • One baby stroller
  • One car battery
  • One radiator
  • Three computer monitors
  • Three yard signs
  • One $20 bill

The cleanup, which focused on two areas of Little Hunting Creek in Hybla Valley, is one of many held by various organizations throughout the year. Little Hunting Creek, which starts near Huntley Meadows and runs under Route 1 before emptying into the Potomac about 3.5 miles downstream, was named “Fairfax County’s Trashiest Stream” in 2007. Litter continues to be a massive problem, despite the communities efforts, and Surovell said area businesses deserve a share of the blame.

“I am grateful for the many volunteers that gave up their Saturday to help clean up their community,” Surovell said. “U.S. 1’s retailers continue to show a lack of interest in controlling shopping cart removal, minimizing plastic bag consumption, or disposable containers in the corridor.”