Nearly 700 volunteers turned out Saturday for this year’s annual Truckee River Cleanup, hosted by the non-profit Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. In just three hours more than three tons of trash were removed from the river across 20 cleanup sites from Verdi to Wadsworth.
KTMB has been hosting the annual cleanup for nearly 20 years, with volunteers pulling trash, debris, weeds and other green waste from the banks of the Truckee River, planting trees in nearby parks, and stenciling storm drains.
Executive Director Darcy Phillips said the cleanup allows community members to work together to beautify the region.
“The Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful team is grateful to our funders and municipal partners who made this cleanup financially possible, and we want to extend our gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers who made the Truckee River Cleanup a huge success,” she said.
The three tons of trash pulled from the river and its banks and several illegal dump sites included three bike frames, three coolers, six shopping carts, six Bird scooters and 20 tires — but none of the Nevada Humane Society’s yellow rubber ducks. It appears those have all been picked up through previous community efforts.
Volunteers cleared another 22 tons of weeds and green waste from the river corridor and planted 135 trees. KTMB officials said the extra wet winter provided conditions for excess weed growth this summer.
“The Truckee River Cleanup provided our community a reason to come together and make our home a more beautiful place. The Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful team is grateful to our funders and municipal partners who made this cleanup financially possible, and we want to extend our gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers who made the Truckee River Cleanup a huge success,” said Darcy Phillips, KTMB’s Executive Director.
KTMB’s next major event is its annual Christmas tree recycling at locations throughout the community. For more information visit ktmb.org.
Source: KTMB
