Help track trash with the 2025 Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz project

FMR is proud to be a partner for the 2025 Plastic-Free Parks initiative. Led by the 5 Gyres Institute, this annual initiative tracks waste trends in U.S. National Parks and on federal lands. The goal is to understand which materials, items and brands of waste are most common and to work toward solutions that protect our parks and waterways from plastic pollution.

The 72-mile stretch of the river that runs through the Twin Cities is designated by the National Park Service as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area or MNRRA. This unique national park in our urban backyard, the only national park site dedicated to the Mississippi River, includes city, county and state parks and refuges and private lands. The National Park Service collaborates with many partners, including FMR, to offer services, programs, and recreational and stewardship opportunities along this historically, culturally and ecologically significant stretch of the Mississippi. 

By participating in the Plastic-Free Parks initiative, volunteers can help steward this important park and contribute to community science.

Clean river, clean seas

Up to 80% of marine plastic originates from land-based sources. As we are situated near the top of one of the world's greatest waterways, we can take direct action to reduce plastic pollution, in our river and in the ocean.

Get involved with Trash Blitz

Now through December 31, 2025, community members are encouraged to download the Trash Blitz app, available on iOs or Android, and log any trash they collect and where they collect it.

Volunteers can pick up and log trash at any of the many partner sites that make up the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
• Check out this map of public areas within MNRRA for ideas about where to use the Trash Blitz app for the Plastic-Free Parks initiative.
• If you'd like to track targeted areas near the Minneapolis River Gorge, or would like an overview of the app in person, join us for our 2025 Earth Day Cleanup on April 19 or contact us at volunteer@fmr.org.

Below is a brief video about this FMR and 5Gyres partnership and how using the TrashBlitz app in MNRRA supports community science and advocacy. (An additional training video about the app is available lower on this page.) 

Getting started

Here is a step-by-step guide to start collecting data today:

1. Download the TrashBlitz app on Android or iOS

• Trash Blitz is a free app used by community scientists to record geospatial data and information about types of litter collected.
• Open the app and choose "Plastic-Free National Parks" as your project from the TrashBlitz project list, then select "Mississippi National River and Recreation Area" as your project site. 

2. Collect data

• You can collect data alone, in pairs or in a group, at any public property within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Check out this map of MNRRA partner sites for ideas of places to pick up and log litter. 
• Log in to the TrashBlitz app and record the items you find by selecting the type of litter and tapping the "Add" button. 
• When you're finished, click "Upload Session." A checkmark will appear when it's complete. You can also contact FMR at volunteer@fmr.org if you would prefer to record data using a data card. We can email you a data card and explain how to use it to track the trash you collect.

3. Dispose of litter

• For a smaller trash pick-up outing, please place any litter you collect in a park trash receptacle or dispose of it in your own trash receptacle at home.
• If you want to collect litter with a larger group (more than five people), you may need to make arrangements ahead of time with the appropriate park staff to make sure that your cleanup won't conflict with any events they have planned. You may also need to coordinate ahead of time to arrange for pick up of trash bags by park or city staff for a larger cleanup. Please contact FMR at volunteer@fmr.org and we can help you connect with the right people to organize a larger cleanup event.

4. Report back to FMR

We want to track the impact of FMR volunteers! Please email us at volunteer@fmr.org and let us know how much time you spent collecting and tracking trash, how many people volunteered with you if you worked with a group, and where you picked up trash. Photos are also welcome!