A Reddit post on r/nashville titled "Welcome to Trashville!" drew attention to how bad the litter problem has become in one of the city's greenways.
The post includes photos of a creek bed near the Stones River Greenway. It shows what the user describes as "a literal river of trash." The litter clogs up hundreds of feet of what should be a peaceful, natural area.


The original poster explained that they'd gone hiking to explore and look for "little treasures and critters." Instead, they found an overwhelming flood of garbage.
"It covered the entirety of the 200 ft of creek bed I walked through," they wrote, adding that much of it appeared to have washed downstream from a nearby facility after heavy rain.
"This was by far the absolute worst I have ever come across," the OP continued.
In the post, the user also shared frustration with the difficulty of reporting large-scale pollution in the area.
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"You can report seeing a cup on the side of the interstate," they said, "but not a Trash River of 10,000 cups in what is supposed to be a wild, natural area."
The thread has sparked a broader conversation about Nashville's environmental management and our personal connection to nature.
Encounters like this one, where a hiker discovered the impact of urban waste firsthand, can serve as a wake-up call. Environmental awareness often begins with small moments of respect for the places around us.
When we enter green spaces, we share them with the plants, animals, and ecosystems that sustain our communities.
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Increased human-wildlife interactions should deepen our understanding of the natural world and not diminish it. Those who exploit or neglect these areas prohibit others from experiencing the same sense of wonder and connection.
This post may have started as one person's dismay over a polluted creek. But it's quickly become a rallying point and reminder that protecting nature starts right where we stand.
Some commenters offered ideas for how to get the city's attention.
One person suggested, "I'd report it on the Hub under the litter section.
Another Reddit user simply wrote, "Well, that breaks my heart."
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