National River Cleanup

National River Cleanup is a year-long event. This year’s event officially kicks-off May 31-June 8. Millions of tons of trash end up in our nation’s rivers and streams every year. American Rivers is a proud sponsor of National River Cleanup and invites you to launch a river cleanup in your backyard.

More than 600,000 volunteers have participated in thousands of National River Cleanups since inception in 1991. More than 1,000 tons of litter and debris have been removed from over 100,000 miles of waterways. In 2007, the National River Cleanup removed 600 tons of trash from 7,500 miles of streams; the 95,000 volunteers filled 100,980 garbage bags!

How do you get started on your own National River Cleanup day? American Rivers has an “Organize a Cleanup” button at their http://www.americanrivers.org/ website. American Rivers provides everything you need to know to start your own event, and register your event so other people can find your event. You can also find river cleanups near your location if you would rather participate in an already organized event than organize your own river cleanup event.

One National River Cleanup event already registered for this locale is the Clarion River Annual Litter Cleanup on August 23. The river will be sweeped for trash from Wilcox down to Cook Forest State Park.

It costs nothing other than your time to become involved in a National River Cleanup day. Trash bags are furnished by American Rivers through donations they receive during the year. River cleanups can be messy and require hard work. Wear old clothes, work boots, and work gloves. Pants and shirts should be long-sleeved. Wear a hat, bring water, a snack, and the attitude to have some fun!