Volunteers sought for March 25 cleanup

One time they encountered 600 toilets

POCOPSON >> If roadways could talk, they would thank the volunteers who take a few hours out of their weekends to clear the junk off the shoulders, forests and nearby fields.

Locally, one group that is especially active in that activity is the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, whose supporters will engage in the 29th annual Red Clay Cleanup on March 25.

Alliance Executive Director Jim Jordan said not only is the project good for the environment and

wildlife, but it is extremely satisfying to the folks who participate. “It’s like cutting the lawn or vacuuming the living room. You can see the results of your labor right away,” he said.

That’s not all. Those who spend a few hours picking up trash by the side of the road get a sense of what people’s favorite take out drink is and where they most often shop for it — just by seeing all those paper cups thrown out car windows, he said with a smile.

Jordan, himself a sportsman, said he is particularly passionate about the cleanups because he has seen deer’s legs and other wildlife entangled in plastic containers like milk jugs and six-pack binders as well as pollution in streams from oil in industrial cans and bottles.

That is why he is sending out a plea for help on the 25th for individuals and groups to commit to twoto three-mile stretches of roadway along Route 82 on that Saturday morning.

He said volunteers are needed from 8 a.m. to noon. The cleanup is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance (BRC) and the Delaware Nature Society (DNS) to sweep more than 85 miles of stream and road ways along the east and west branches of the Red Clay Creek, including Kennett Square Borough going south through Yorklyn and Hockessin, Delaware, and ending at Kirkwood Highway.

“Volunteers are crucial to the success of the Red Clay Valley Cleanup. Six hundred twenty-eight volunteers participated in 2016 to collect more than 11 tons of trash. They work hard but most also consider it great fun and an opportunity for family and neighbors to get together,” Jordan said.

After check-in at the Kennett YMCA pool, Ashlund Nature Center or Anson B. Nixon Park at 8 a.m., volunteers will receive refreshments including Starbucks coffee and doughnuts. They will then disperse to assigned areas along the cleanup route. Necessary materials gloves, bags, reflective safety vests, etc. are provided. Large groups are encouraged to contact BRC at 610-793-1090 or DNS at 302-239-2334 for their route assignments prior to March 22, however, for individuals, pre-registration is not necessary.

Those who have helped out before can attest to the fact that all matter of objects, even including stolen purses with the money and credit cards removed, turn up along the way. As the years have gone by, Jordan said, there are fewer large objects like old appliances encountered, and the amount of objectional personal material has also diminished. Part of the reason is that companies that sell things like appliances and large furniture have added delivery practices of hauling away the old object their products are replacing, he said.

There was that one time, however, said Jordan looking back:

“There was that place by the side of the road down a steep incline where a truck (accidentally or intentionally) had dumped 600 toilets. It took three years to get them all gathered and taken away,” he said.

Another pesky aspect of the cleanup that has historically been an annoyance to the volunteers and the Alliance in general is the number of tires that people leave to be picked up.

Jordan said when people buy new tires and they need to dispose of the old ones, they sometimes save them for a cleanup day and put them out, rather than pay the $2 that landfills charge to take them. The result is that the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance is stuck with the fees. One year they picked up 832 of them, and in another instance there were more than 200 on Chandler Mill Road alone.

“People seem to save them up,” he said.

Jordan said school students have been particularly helpful, especially those from Avon Grove High School and Avon Grove Charter School. In that connection, he added that there will be people there to sign volunteer hours certificates that students can have verified for their community service requirements. Over the years, the Red Clay cleanup has engaged 15,298 volunteers who have given 61,192 hours of help. They have picked up 349 tons of refuse, the biggest year being 2004 when the Kennett Area was hit with two floods in a short time. “Everything was spread all over,” he said.

This community event is also sponsored by Mt. Cuba Center, Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway Alliance, Kennett Area Park Authority, Phillips Mushroom Farms, Wild Birds Unlimited, WSFS, Constellation, Chandler Funeral Home, Delaware State Sen. Greg Lavelle, Starbucks Coffee Company, Chatham Financial, Suez Water Delaware, Bike Delaware and others.

Brandywine Red Clay Alliance formed in 2015 out of the merger between Brandywine Valley Association and Red Clay Valley Association. With over 70 years of experience, we will continue to reach out for cleanup volunteers, undertake improvements in both watersheds, turn more red streams blue, advocate with a stronger voice, and educate school children throughout our districts.

“Six hundred twenty-eight volunteers participated in 2016 to collect more than 11 tons of trash. They work hard but most also consider it great fun and an opportunity for family and neighbors to get together.” — Alliance Executive Director Jim Jordan

SUBMITTED PHOTO Volunteers clad in gloves and bright vests clean junk from the roadside during last year’s Red Clay Cleanup.