Environmental Progress - Summer 1998

Annual Cleanups Set For Ohio, Rock Rivers

A day outdoors, a worthwhile cause, and a complimentary tee-shirt!

Volunteers are being recruited for annual cleanup efforts along the Rock and Ohio Rivers in May and June.

The fourth Rock River Sweep will remove litter from the river and its banks along the river's length in Winnebago County between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on May 16. This year, students from Harlem High School plan to clean the area of the Rock River in their school district, as part of a pilot effort that promoters hope will see other schools signing up to clean both the river and its tributaries in the areas of their schools.

Participants in the Rock River cleanup receive buttons and commemorative tee-shirts, are provided with gloves and garbage bags, and are served food and refreshments.

More than 400 residents in the six Illinois counties bordering the Ohio River are expected to pitch in on June 20, when the Illinois EPA spearheads the ninth consecutive year of participation in the Ohio River Sweep. The Sweep, organized by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (Orsanco), is a multi-state effort along the length of the historic river.

In Illinois, there will be at least one designated Ohio River cleanup area in each of the counties -- Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope, Hardin and Gallatin. The Illinois EPA provides gloves and pickup bags to volunteers, who also receive tee-shirts as mementoes of their participation. Businesses and organizations near the cleanup sites provide refreshments for workers.

Trash collected at both cleanups ranges from typical litter like cans and bottles to discarded tires and large appliances. Recyclables are separated, and the remainder is sent for proper disposal. Additional information on the Rock River sweep can be obtained from Jack M. Adam, in the Illinois EPA's Rockford regional office at 815-987-7760. Information about the Ohio River Sweep can be obtained from the Orsanco toll-free Hotline, 1-800-359-3977, or from Byron Marks, the Illinois EPA's Sweep coordinator, in the Marion regional office at 618-993-7200.