45 dedicated volunteers met at the Asheville Outdoor Center to participate in the Big Sweep Cleanup on Saturday, October 1. Coordinated by RiverLink, the Asheville Outdoor Center, Asheville Greenworks and 1-800-Got Junk, groups set off on foot along the riverbank, up and down roads surrounding the French Broad, and through area parks. Volunteers collected a whopping 9,680 pounds of trash - including 132 tires, 300 pounds of recyclable materials, and 6,740 pounds of rubbish from underneath the Smoky Park Highway Bridge.
Volunteers from Warren Wilson College, Asheville High School, UNC-Asheville, Mars Hill College and some interested individuals fanned out alongside Amboy Road, Riverside Drive, Brevard Road, into Carrier and French Broad River Parks, and under the Smoky Park Highway Bridge, leaving the signature orange bags full of trash for the volunteers from 1-800-Got-Junk to throw into one of their blue trucks and haul to the landfill. The Smoky Park Highway Bridge cleanup filled a 20 cubic foot sway-car to overflowing.
"The most commonly found items on the roadsides were undoubtedly drink bottles and fast-food trash," said Dave Russell, RiverLink's volunteer coordinator. "The riverbank cleanups netted mostly tires and construction debris."
RiverLink thanks everyone who participated in the Big Sweep Cleanup including Asheville Outdoor Center for lending canoes and 1-800-Got-Junk for collecting and transporting the trash and recyclables to their proper disposal places.
RiverLink has over 60 Adopt-a-Stream teams at work in the French Broad River Watershed - come out and join a team or form your own with more information at www.riverlink.org.
RiverLink also spearheads Asheville's greenway system, which currently stretches for 4.5 miles with more on the way. To help keep the greenways clean and weed-free, RiverLink has started an Adopt-A-Greenway program. Interested groups or individuals adopt a section of greenway to administer and get recognition in the way of a sign beside their section. Contact RiverLink's Dave Russell at 252-8474, ext. 11 or dave @riverlink.org for more information.
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