6th Annual Chickamauga Lake Cleanup Presented by iSustain

On Saturday, June 6, iSustain hit the water with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) for the 6th Annual Chickamauga Lake Cleanup. Twenty-eight volunteers spent the day hauling litter, tires, and bulk debris off the shoreline and out of the coves before any of it could break apart and wash downstream.

The result: a heavy haul, a few finds nobody saw coming, and a milestone six years in the making.

7,931 Pounds in a Single Day

By the time the boats came back in, volunteers had removed 7,931 pounds of trash from Chickamauga Lake. The haul included:

• 123 bags of litter
• 66 tires
• Two dock floats weighing 1,075 pounds
• 120 pounds of pool liner
• Scrap plastic pipe
• 2 large TVs, 3 chairs, 3 bumpers, and two and a half barrels
• A hot tub, a bathtub, and a mattress and box spring

The odd finds tell the story better than any single number. If a hot tub and a strip of pool liner can wind up in the Tennessee River, almost anything can. On Saturday, almost everything did. Every piece hauled out is one less item left to break down in the water.

Crossing 40,000 Pounds Over Six Years

The bigger number is the one that took six years to reach. Here is the program's haul since it began:

• 2021 — 4,945 lbs
• 2022 — 6,526 lbs
• 2023 — 8,430 lbs
• 2024 — 5,959 lbs
• 2025 — 7,381 lbs
• 2026 — 7,931 lbs

Across six cleanups, iSustain and KTNRB volunteers have now removed 41,172 pounds of trash from Chickamauga Lake and the surrounding stretch of the Tennessee River. This year's effort pushed the program past the 40,000-pound mark for the first time.

"Six years in, and we're still pulling hot tubs and tires out of the river. That tells you the work isn't finished. But 41,000 pounds removed says what's possible when companies and volunteers decide to show up for their waterway," said Mark Huber, Vice President of Business Development at iSustain and KTNRB board member.

More Hands on the Water

This year's 66 tires were the most the cleanup has ever recovered, and a good share of that total came from a team joining the effort for the first time. A crew from Smurfit WestRock's Chattanooga Recycle operation worked the cleanup alongside iSustain, and a second stop late in the day uncovered a cache of tires and televisions that pushed the day's weight higher.

Why iSustain Shows Up Every June

Pulling a dock float or a barrel out of a cove is more than a clean shoreline. Large plastic and foam debris left in the water eventually breaks down into microplastics, which are far harder to recover and carry real consequences for aquatic life and for the river that supplies the region's drinking water. Removing that material at the source follows the same principle iSustain works from every day: capture recoverable material before it becomes a problem no one can solve.

Community at the Core

The cleanup runs on its partners. KTNRB managed the volunteers and the work boats, and Keep Soddy Daisy Beautiful helped recruit local hands for the day.

iSustain has shown what one company's commitment can do for the Tennessee River. Crossing 40,000 pounds together is a milestone that our volunteers should be proud of. Even more importantly, it helps to shed light on the fact that such litter is out there in our drinking source and opens the conversation for change. iSustain has helped to make that possible and we’re so grateful, said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful.

Join the Effort Year-Round

Thanks to every volunteer who gave their Saturday to the river. If you want to be part of next year's cleanup, or support KTNRB's work along the 652-mile Tennessee River, visit keeptnriverbeautiful.org.