Recycle our River art project: People encouraged to turn litter into creative pieces to raise awareness

This bird sculpture was created using pieces of litter collected by Susquehanna University student Peyton Johnson, who helped come up with the Recycle our Rivers art project for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.

Between now and June 30, 2024, people across the Middle Susquehanna watershed are encouraged to creatively turn litter they may collect into pieces of art that can help raise awareness about the ecosystems impacted by that litter. 

In a "Recycle our River" contest by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, sparked by 2023 summer intern Peyton Johnson, people of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to find and recycle trash into art that reflects the any ecosystems affected by pollution. This can include any part of the ecosystem including plants and animals.

"Be creative with your recycled items and find new innovative ways to reuse them. The projects who win will be shared offering exposure for your nifty creations, as well as a public awareness of the ever-growing issues of trash pollution across the globe," said Johnson.

Johnson was inspired to pursue the project after reading a 2021 National Geographic article titled "Plastic gets to the oceans through over 1,000 rivers" which explains how of the roughly 14 million tons of plastic that end up in the oceans each year, over 80 percent is distributed by over 1,000 different rivers.

"In an effort to encourage recycling, raise awareness for this ever-growing issue, and encourage new innovative ways of recycling and creating new art, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeepers Association came up with the Recycle our Rivers art competition," Johnson said. "After all projects are submitted with photos digitally, judges will select the top winners with additional awards for creativity and prizes will be given."

Submissions should represent the interconnectedness of our aquatic river ecosystem, either a specific species or its habitat. Photos of the artwork – which can come in various forms such as sculptures or paintings or other aspects of art – should be sent via email to [email protected] with the subject "Recycle our River art project." 


"Pollution is a huge hot-button topic that will never realistically get solved without creative solutions, and I love the creativity behind this idea and the opportunity to showcase the creativity of the people in our watershed as they head out to clean up our waterways this spring," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We just ask everyone while doing this to also be safe and mindful of your surroundings. Use this project to look at things in a different way, and maybe in doing so, you'll help someone else see the issue with a new perspective as well."