BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Whatcom Creek is a treasure in Bellingham, but it's also getting trashed.

Much of the garbage left on the streets makes its way to the waterway, and with the city not putting out garbage cans, locals are taking matters into their own hands.

When Matt Bryant looks at the trash littering the creek, he doesn't just see garbage. He sees us.

"I've pulled many syringes straight out of the water. We find weapons," Bryant said. "You see the layers of our struggles. You see addiction and consumption and excess and waste."

Welcome to Trash Club. The group started during the pandemic when Bryant saw garbage piling up along Whatcom Creek, especially in areas around homeless camps.

"I thought to myself someone should do something about that. I had that moment of realizing I'm t

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