Every business has a story to tell. Crystal Clear Bins was started with idea that small actions create big changes.

The Clean Team was started to enable children to be heroes in their own neighborhoods. Learn how to take care of the home we are passing down to them, how they are able to improve on what we have built.

Where It All Started

Long before Crystal Clear Bins existed, I grew up in a family where we were outdoors a lot. Cub Scouts doing community service, Boy Scouts doing community service. Our my mother taking me out on my birthday that falls on Earth Day and having us collect recycling on the roadside. Those childhood experiences stuck with me. They shaped who I became — an Eagle Scout, a ranch worker who learned land stewardship firsthand, and eventually the founder of a business built around protecting our waterways and environment.

The Moment the Clean Team Was Born

The Clean Team wasn’t an afterthought — it was part of the vision from day one. When Crystal Clear Bins was created, the mission was always bigger than clean trash bins. It was about protecting our waterways, reducing pollution, and inspiring a culture of environmental responsibility in our community.

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted children to be part of that mission. Kids are naturally curious about the world around them, and we saw an opportunity to turn that curiosity into meaningful learning. The Clean Team was created as the educational heart of Crystal Clear Bins — a way to teach children how our environment works, how litter affects our waterways, and how their actions can protect the rivers and creeks that flow through Craven County.

The Clean Team and the business grows together, built on the same foundation: care for the environment, care for the community, and a belief that the next generation deserves a cleaner, healthier world.

Why Kids Need the Clean Team More Than Ever

Another reason the Clean Team was built into Crystal Clear Bins from the very beginning is because today’s children are spending far less time outdoors than any generation before them — and far more time on screens.

Recent studies show:

• Kids now average 4–7 hours of screen time per day, not including schoolwork
• Many children spend less than 1 hour outside daily
• Some research suggests kids today spend 50% less time outdoors than their parents did at the same age

That means fewer opportunities to explore nature, fewer chances to build a connection with their environment, and fewer moments where they can learn firsthand how their actions impact the world around them.

The Clean Team was created to help change that.

By giving kids a fun, hands‑on mission — picking up litter, learning about storm drains, understanding how trash affects the Neuse River — we’re helping them step away from screens and step into their community. We’re giving them a reason to get outside, get curious, and feel proud of the difference they make.

Kids don’t just need environmental education. They need experiences that reconnect them with the world beyond the screen.

The Clean Team does exactly that.

Why Outdoor Time Matters for Kids — From a Parent’s Perspective

For parents, the rise in screen time isn’t just a statistic — it’s something you see every day. Kids are spending more time indoors, more time on devices, and less time exploring, imagining, and experiencing the world firsthand.

Outdoor time matters because it helps children:

• Build stronger physical health
• Improve mental well‑being and reduce stress
• Strengthen creativity and problem‑solving skills
• Develop better sleep patterns
• Learn teamwork, leadership, and communication

Parents want their kids to grow up grounded, confident, and connected — not glued to a screen. But creating those opportunities can be tough in today’s world.

The Clean Team gives families a simple, meaningful way to get kids outside with purpose. Instead of just “going outside,” kids are:

• Exploring their neighborhoods
• Learning how nature works
• Discovering wildlife
• Understanding how water flows through their community
• Seeing firsthand how their actions make a difference

Parents get to watch their children grow into leaders. Kids get to feel proud of themselves. And the community gets cleaner, healthier waterways.

What the Clean Team Is All About

The Clean Team is a kid‑friendly, community‑driven environmental program designed to:

• Teach children how litter affects our waterways
• Show them how storm drains connect directly to rivers like the Neuse
• Help them understand the importance of protecting wildlife and wetlands
• Give them hands‑on opportunities to clean up their neighborhoods
• Empower them to feel proud of the difference they make

It’s not just a program — it’s a movement. A way to turn curiosity into action, and action into lifelong stewardship.

The Clean Team Characters: Making Learning Fun

We created the Clean Team characters to make environmental education engaging and memorable. They’re colorful, friendly, and designed to help kids connect emotionally with the mission.

Each character teaches a different lesson — from recycling to stormwater to wildlife protection — turning complex environmental concepts into simple, fun adventures.

Kids don’t just learn. They join the team.

A Community Effort

The Clean Team isn’t just for kids — it’s for families, schools, neighborhoods, and local organizations who want to make a difference.

We partner with:

• Local events
• Cleanup groups
• Schools
• Parks
• Community centers

Because protecting our waterways is something we all share responsibility for.

Because This Is Our Home

Craven County is a beautiful place. Our rivers, creeks, and wetlands are worth protecting. And the best way to protect them is to inspire the next generation to love them as much as we do.

That’s why we started the Clean Team. And that’s why we’ll keep growing it — for our kids, our waterways, and our future.