Big Sweep 2011
A huge Thank You to City and County of Durham residents who came out for the 2011 Big Sweep cleanup! With so many dedicated citizens, Durham County had a great volunteer participation with 334 volunteers!
Those volunteers cleaned 19 different sites around the County, helping to clean up an estimated 11,085 pounds of trash from our environment. This trash was found in various parks, roadsides, as well as local stream, rivers and other water bodies around the county.
This year’s events, sponsored in part by the City of Durham Stormwater Services Division, along with Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. Trash disposal assistance was provided by Durham County's General Services Department and the City of Durham's Solid Waste Department.
This year’s clean up was also a special occasion because it marked the 25th anniversary of NC Big Sweep, Inc. North Carolina Big Sweep was founded as Beach Sweep in 1987 and officially became Big Sweep in 1989. Since its founding, NC Big Sweep has had more than 200,000 volunteers and collected over seven million pounds of trash from North Carolina watersheds.
Some of the more unusual items collected include: fenders, hand garden trowel, milk crate, 2 rusted drums, plastic bowl, old nursery materials, burned out car debris, scrap aluminum, tire rim, 12 stormwater grates, 2 paint buckets, drainage pipes, 2 motor covers, hand cart, balls, 2 meter covers, rugs, baby car seat, TV parts, vacuum parts, plastic chair, hose, stove parts, cash register till, 2 table tops, plywood, lumber, mattress frame, steel plates, 3 five gallon buckets, mountain bike, boogie board, 1 three-gallon jug, large wire brush, plastic child’s tricycle, metal pipes, real estate sign, metal siding, 2 shopping carts, rusted chair, golf clubs, tire rim, window frame, wooden chair seat, aluminum bar, boards, floor joists, rolling staircase, soccer balls, PVC pipe, wood blocks, fence post, fire proof safety deposit box.
Participating groups who volunteered:
| NCSSM Enviro-Greener Challenge Club |
Cub Scout Pack 424 |
| Duke Basketball Camp Out Committee |
The Duke School |
| Northgate Park Neighborhood Association |
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association |
| Forest Hills Neighborhood Association |
Southern Durham Hign School Student Governmental Association |
| Girl Scout Cadette Troop 1806 |
Hrton Hills Homeowners Association |
| Biy Scout Troop 424 |
Friends of Third Fork Creek Trail |
| South Durham Green Neighbors |
Third Fork Creek Greenway Neighborhood |
| Elmira Park volunteers |
Adopt a trail - Third Fork Creek chapter |
| Durham City/County Green Team |
Eno River Association |
| Durham Academy |
|
