Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
25 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
25 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
25 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maryland Bethesda Porky The Litter Eater
AO Edited

Porky The Litter Eater

This propitious plastic porcine has been petitioning park visitors to pick up after themselves for more than 50 years.

Bethesda, Maryland

Added By
Ian Hall
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Porky The Litter Eater   Daquella manera/Public Domain
Porky The Litter Eater   Daquella manera/Public Domain
Porky The Litter Eater   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Panorama of Cabin John Park with Porky   Fuzheado/CC BY-SA 4.0
Porky The Litter Eater   Michelle Holcomb/Map of the Urban Linguistic Landscape/CC BY 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Cabin John Regional Park is a peaceful picnic spot in Montgomery County that features one very unusual resident: an environmentally-conscious talking pig.

Porky The Litter Eater has been entreating visitors to fill his chatty maw with refuse since the park opened in 1966. The push of a button located near his smiling face on the shack in which he resides is all the prodding he needs to start his pitch. After a couple of snorts and grunts, the low voice of one-time park caretaker Ted Gurney issues the following cheery message: “Hi, kids, I’m Porky the Litter Eater, and I sure like to eat. You can feed me paper, and cardboard, and soft drink cans, but never, never feed me bottles or broken glass. Glass gives me a stomach ache.”

The pig with the vacuum-powered mouth was the brainchild of associate director of parks, Frank Rubini. He was inspired by the idea that a fun and interactive waste disposal system might prompt kids to pick up after themselves and plant the seeds for a more environmentally conscious future.

Porky wasn't the first talking trash receptacle in Montgomery County. That honor was held by Billy the Litter Goat, who made his debut at nearby Wheaton Regional Park in 1965—but Porky is the only one that remains.

Related Tags

Parks Environment Pigs Trash

Know Before You Go

Porky's brick house sits just past the miniature train station within Cabin John Park.

Community Contributors

Added By

blimpcaptain

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, Phishtkach

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • Phishtkach

Published

December 21, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-magazine/may-june-2019/bethesdas-hungriest-pig/
Porky The Litter Eater
7400 Tuckerman Ln
Bethesda, Maryland, 20817
United States
39.035044, -77.150572
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Josiah Henson Museum & Park

North Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Grosvenor Estate Moon Tree

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Magruder's Blacksmith Shop

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bethesda

Bethesda

Maryland

Places 9

Nearby Places

Josiah Henson Museum & Park

North Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Grosvenor Estate Moon Tree

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Magruder's Blacksmith Shop

Bethesda, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bethesda

Bethesda

Maryland

Places 9

Related Places

  • A giant smelter, which pays homage to both the novels and the site on which the park is built.

    Tacoma, Washington

    Dune Peninsula

    A massive environmental project transformed this former smelter into a beautiful park.

  • Concrete Plant Park

    Bronx, New York

    Concrete Plant Park

    A riverfront park that both remediated and preserved its industrial past.

  • Materials at the warehouse.

    Queens, New York

    Materials for the Arts

    A New York warehouse filled with an enormous amount of goods saved from the landfills and donated for creative use.

  • The Ecological Bottle House.

    Puerto Iguazú, Argentina

    Ecological Plastic Bottle House

    One family's mission to exemplify sustainability took on a whole new life as a surprisingly beautiful home.

  • Gashouder Westergas.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Westergasfabriek

    One of Amsterdam’s most popular cultural and recreational complexes is on the site of a former gas works.

  • Pig Rock as seen from the road

    Speculator, New York

    Pig Rock

    Surprising rock art on the Adirondack Scenic Byway.

  • Cone and playground games.

    Oaxaca, Mexico

    Parque Los Conos

    Abandoned pieces of Mexico’s agricultural industry are the centerpiece of this park.

  • Seiryudo Cave – named after Seiryu, the Azure Dragon, this cave features deep vertical columns surrounded by dense vegetation.

    Toyooka, Japan

    Genbudo Park

    A dramatic landscape of ancient lava, carved into hexagonal columns by nature itself.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.