Webster Groves Teen Turns Trash Pickups Into Mission

Miles Drury leads cleanup crews and runs a small cleanup business to help keep St. Louis waterways cleaner.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 9:50am

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A vibrant, high-contrast silkscreen print of a trash picker-upper tool repeated in a grid, capturing the pop art energy of a community-driven cleanup effort.A teen's mission to clean up local parks and rivers inspires community action against litter and illegal dumping.Ferguson Today

A 17-year-old from Webster Groves, Missouri, named Miles Drury is spending his free time hauling trash out of local parks and rivers to help keep the St. Louis region's waterways cleaner. Drury now leads cleanup crews, runs a small cleanup business, and invites neighbors to join his ongoing efforts around the area.

Why it matters

Drury's efforts to clean up local parks and rivers highlight the growing issue of litter and illegal dumping in the St. Louis region, which can have negative impacts on the environment and public health. His work as a teen volunteer shows how community-driven initiatives can make a real difference in addressing these problems.

The details

Drury, who is 17 years old, has been spending his free time picking up trash in local parks and rivers around the St. Louis area. He now leads cleanup crews, runs a small cleanup business, and encourages his neighbors to join him in his ongoing efforts to keep the region's waterways clean.

  • Drury has been conducting these cleanup efforts for the past several years.

The players

Miles Drury

A 17-year-old resident of Webster Groves, Missouri, who has made it his mission to clean up local parks and rivers by leading cleanup crews, running a small cleanup business, and encouraging his neighbors to join him.

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The takeaway

Drury's dedication to cleaning up his local community shows how even a single individual, especially a young person, can make a meaningful impact on environmental issues like litter and illegal dumping. His work inspires others to get involved and highlights the power of grassroots, community-driven initiatives to address pressing problems.