How To Organize a River Cleanup

Once you have a site and a cleanup date, gather volunteers. Besides asking family and friends, appeal to local environmental groups for help in recruiting volunteers. Place notices at your library, workplace, and outdoor enthusiast shops. Consider asking local scout troops to make it one of their projects.

Divide volunteers into groups to pick up litter along the river’s edge. Designate a specific area for each group.

Prepare volunteers for cleanup day. Urge them to bring work gloves, sunscreen, insect repellent, drinking water, and work boots or waders. Tell them to use caution when handling trash, and to avoid hazardous materials like needles, broken glass, aerosol cans, and drums that may contain toxic waste.

Have each volunteer sign an acknowledgement of the risk involved. Find a sample liability waiver and companion toolkit at CreateTheGood.org/HowTo.

Know in advance how you’re going to dispose of the garbage you gather. Find volunteers to haul it away, or make arrangements with your local waste management company to pick it up.

Plan on having a barbecue or picnic afterwards to celebrate your hard work, get to know your fellow volunteers, and to congratulate each other on your work to protect and restore your local river.