Plastic Ocean Project receives $6,000 grant after collecting almost six tons of trash in the past year

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Wilmington-based Plastic Ocean Project was awarded a $6,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation after collecting nearly six tons of trash in 2022.

Through its Trees4Trash program, volunteers collected 11,780 pounds of trash and planted 471 trees; one tree is earned for every 25 pounds of trash collected.

The non-profit aims to mitigate the damage caused by severe storms.

“Trees combat the flow of stormwater by helping absorb it and also protect homes by serving as a windbreak. Floods cause manmade debris to clog storm drains, which leads to the pollution of the ocean, area creeks, rivers and waterways,” said the Plastic Ocean Project in a release.

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