[Durham INC] Durham's Annual Big Sweep Shatters Records

[Blalock, Amy]

City of Durham

County of Durham

 

Joint News Release

 

For Immediate Release: Nov. 16, 2010

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist, City of Durham

(919) 560-4123, ext. 11253

 

Dawn Dudley

Public Information Specialist, County of Durham

(919) 560-0008

 

 

Durham's Annual Big Sweep Shatters Records 

Number of Volunteers Involved and Amount of Trash Removed Doubles for
2010 Event

 

DURHAM, N.C. - Residents turned out in full force for last month's
Durham Big Sweep, shattering previous records for volunteer
participation and the amount of trash collected from areas across Durham
County.

 

Durham's Big Sweep reports both record-breaking volunteer service and
trash removal. The event included 619 volunteers covering over 24 miles
of streets, streams, lakes, and parks. Durham Big Sweep volunteers also
collected 12,920 pounds of improperly disposed litter and debris
including tires, appliances, sewer covers, shopping carts, building
materials, car parts, and furniture. 

 

Durham's Big Sweep, which took place Saturday, October 2, was
coordinated by the Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District,
the City of Durham's Stormwater Services Division with the Public Works
Department, and Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. Durham's Big Sweep is a part
of the annual anti-litter event sponsored by North Carolina Big Sweep, a
non-profit grassroots organization whose mission is litter-free
watersheds.

 

According to Jennifer Brooks, soil conservationist and environmental
education coordinator with the Durham County Soil and Water Conservation
District, these totals represent twice the number of volunteers and
twice the amount of trash collected when compared to 2009. "This year's
event was a huge success thanks to the efforts of hundreds of residents
who combed our community to restore Durham habitats, beautify our
landscape, and protect our waterways," said Brooks. "Litter creates
seriously negative health effects for people, the environment, and the
well-being of wildlife. It washes from streets to storm drains to
creeks. It entangles animals and can be toxic when ingested. Cigarette
butts are extremely toxic to small water organisms or when birds use
them to build nests. The list just goes on and on. But, thanks to the
efforts of our 619 volunteers, Durham is now cleaner for us all."

 

North Carolina Big Sweep was founded as Beach Sweep in 1987. In 1989, a
public-private partnership officially became Big Sweep, the nation's
first statewide water cleanup. Each fall, volunteers from 100 counties
in North Carolina and 90 countries worldwide come together to clean up
watersheds. Since then, more than 200,000 North Carolina Big Sweep
volunteers have collected millions of pounds of trash from watersheds
across the state. For more information, visit www.NCBigSwseep.org. 

 

Durham residents, organizations, or groups interested in more
information or in volunteering year-round for clean up events should
contact Brooks by phone at (919) 560-0558, by e-mail at 
jbrooks at durhamcountync.gov, or by visiting the County's website at 
www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/swcd/Durham_Big_Sweep.html.

 

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