Volunteers Remove 38 Tons of Trash at Watershed Cleanup Day

Volunteers helped clean up more than 38 tons of trash during ClearWater Conservancy’s 21st annual Watershed Cleanup Day last weekend.

The event, held on Earth Day, is aimed at combatting littering and illegal dumping in the local watershed. ClearWater said in a release that a record number of volunteers turned out to clean up trash at 59 sites around Centre County.

Because of the work of those volunteers, ClearWater and the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority (CCRA) were able to properly dispose of 38.1 tons, or 76,200 pounds, of trash collected at at roadsides, parks, streams, and sinkholes. That included 17,240 pounds of scrap metal, 550 tires weighing more than 10,120 pounds and more than 48,900 pounds of assorted trash.

Since 1997, the project has removed more than 6.16 million pounds of waste from local streams, roadways and sinkholes.

“It always amazes me that we the few, can do so much, in such a short time,’ said Rod Fye, Cleanup Day committee member and enforcement officer at CCRRA  ‘If many others would change their attitude about littering our roads and improperly disposing of their trash, we could accomplish so much more. It should be our goal to take care of our Mother Earth, we really only have one.”

Led by ClearWater Conservancy and in partnership with Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority and the local MS4 partners, Watershed Cleanup Day is supported by local contractors, heavy equipment operators, businesses and Centre County municipalities.