Durham, NC – Recently, Durham residents participated in a bit of “fall cleaning.” They weren’t cleaning out an attic or garage, or airing out the house one last time before winter sets in. Instead, they were cleaning trash up in Durham’s parks, streets, waterbodies and shorelines for Durham Big Sweep during September and October.

This year, 400 individuals from across Durham volunteered their time and labor to help clean up litter all over Durham. Clean up results are still coming in, but to date, more than 400 volunteers cleaned 23 different sites around Durham resulting in an estimated 10,790 pounds of trash collected. According to organizers, much of the trash collected was fished out of local streams that flow directly to Falls and Jordan Lakes, polluting two major drinking water sources.

“Volunteers bagged nearly 367 trash bags of litter, 78 bags of recyclables, and over 970 pounds of trash too big for garbage bags,” said Durham County Big Sweep Coordinator Jennifer Brooks. “Among the trash collected were 46 tires, a toilet, a radio, a cane, plywood, a bike frame, two vacuum cleaners, a rug, four florescent light tubes, one plastic crate, five bed mattresses/box springs, a roll of wire fencing, carpet & padding, six TVs, seven shopping carts, one newspaper stand, a large road closure sign, two blankets, a metal pole from a street sign, wooden boards, a plastic shelving unit two shelves high, three bicycle frames, a long metal strap, wooden stool/furniture, an orange cone, a car tailpipe, signage, scrap iron, a large rusted metal piece, a planter, two basketballs, one basketball hoop base, one exercise ball, one door to a kids playhouse, and two five-gallon drums.”

Big Sweep is an annual statewide environmental service event that is over 20 years old. Since its founding, North Carolina Big Sweep has attracted more than 200,000 volunteers and collected millions of pounds of trash from North Carolina watersheds. Durham has been participating in Big Sweep for over a decade now with this year’s coordination led 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. Helping to make Big Sweep a success, the Durham County Solid Waste Department and the City of Durham Neighborhood Improvement Services Department, were instrumental in disposing of all trash the volunteers cleaned up.

Durham residents, organizations, and groups interested in volunteering for the 2014 litter cleanup should contact Brooks at (919) 560-0558 or by email at jbrooks@dconc.gov. Volunteers may also register on the 2014 Durham Big Sweep website at http://Bit.ly/DurhamBigSweep.

About North Carolina Big Sweep
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 waterway clean-up. To learn more, visit http://www.NCBigSweep.org.

About Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc.
Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit, volunteer organization working in partnership with the City of Durham’s General Services Department and Durham County to encourage private businesses, residents, and community organizations to conserve and enhance the appearance and environment of Durham through cleanup events, beautification projects, and educational activities. For more information, visit http://www.KeepDurhamBeautiful.org, “like” on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/KeepDurhamBeautiful, or “follow” on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/DurhamBeautiful.

About the Public Works Department Stormwater Services Division
The Stormwater Services Division with the City of Durham’s Public Works Department is guided by the City’s strategic plan goals of stewardship of the City’s physical assets and promoting thriving, livable neighborhoods. It has the major responsibility for enforcing all existing stormwater ordinances and regulations. Activities include storm drainage design and plans review; inspecting and maintaining City-owned drainage systems; education and outreach; and stream monitoring, restoration, and watershed master planning. To learn more, visit http://www.DurhamNC.gov/Stormwater or “like” on Facebook at http://www. Facebook.com/DurhamNCStormwater.

About the Durham County Soil & Water Conservation District
The Durham County Soil & Water Conservation District seeks to conserve, enhance and promote the natural resources of Durham County by providing technical assistance, environmental education information and economic incentives to County citizens and by exhibiting a diversified program to meet its changing needs. For more information, visit http://dconc.gov/swcd or “like” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Durham-County-Soil-and-Water-Conservation-District/284665874878187 or “follow” on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/DCoSWCD.