COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia native is working hard to combat litter in the Gills Creek area.
On Gills Creek Parkway, some people may just hear cars, but Columbia native Fred McGrew hears the sounds of nature surrounding it.
"In the springtime when [the creek] is flowing, you can hear the rippling, and you can hear the frogs jumping in there,” McGrew said when looking out to the wooded area.
Every Sunday morning, passers-by can hear McGrew's trash bin rolling down the road.
He loves nature and is trying to protect it from the constant litter being dropped on the road.
He brings his camera, rolling trash bin, and grabber to enjoy the outdoors while trying to keep it beautiful.
“I work just down the road, this is my commute to work," McGrew explained. "Often it broke my heart to ride down the road and see litter, after litter, after litter, and one day it occurred to me: I can just pick it up.”
McGrew picks up trash as small as cigarette butts. His bin quickly fills to the brim each Sunday with cans, fast food containers, and other trash.
But that doesn’t discourage him from trying to keep the road clean week after week.
"You can’t let it get you frustrated," he said. "If you do, you’re just not gonna be a happy person. I don’t see it as 250 cigarette butts, I look at it as 250 less cigarettes butts once I pick them up.”
McGrew shared that he’s picked up litter for 10 years and started his weekly route on Gills Creek Parkway in 2019.
"It makes me feel good to know I’m doing a little bit of good for the world, in my little section of the world,” he said.
The hope is that others will learn to respect nature too.
"Hopefully, one day it’ll inspire people to realize they can do the same thing, but if it’s too hard for someone to do all this, just picking up one piece of trash would be a little bit of help,” said McGrew.
The Columbia native encourages people to get out there and help clean up their neighborhoods. Here are a few organizations that help facilitate cleanups:
All above organizations accept donations as well.