We did it! Last month’s Coastal Cleanup Day hit a new record in the amount of trash collected and miles cleaned thanks to all of our volunteers! We had 1,931 volunteers come out to clean up 75 miles of creeks and rivers throughout Santa Clara County. Our volunteers went above and beyond, exceeding the amount of trash picked up at last year’s event by almost 5,300 lbs! The total amount of trash, including recyclables, came out to 56,808 lbs.
Every year we have some interesting and odd items picked up by volunteers. Some of them include the following: a framed picture of Marylin Monroe, a Christmas tree with lights, tennis balls, a vacuum, a bottle rocket, prescription medications, bed frame, tire filled with concrete, a five-gallon bucket of orange Tang, golf club, bag of 21 prayer candles, chunks of tar, electric Ford bike, Google bike frame, iPhone, 1138 cigarette butts and even a kitchen sink.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District coordinated this effort through the Creek Connections Action Group (CCAG), a consortium of public agencies and non-profit organizations that share a goal of protecting Santa Clara County’s waterways. The water district has chaired the CCAG for more than five years and counting.
If you’d like to get involved, save the date — our next regional cleanup is National River Cleanup Day in May. For more information, visit www.cleanacreek.org or get notified for the next cleanup using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCVWD2018.
