River Cleanup nets 6 tons of trash

SPOKANE – One of the louder questions heading into the Spokane River Clean-Up was “Will this sunshine hold out?” after more and more weather forecasts predicted a rainy and chilly early October day. In the end, the answer to that very important question turned out to be “mostly” as more than 800 people came out to take part in the seventh-annual community celebration of cleanliness. Organizers reported that more than 12,020 pounds of trash were hauled out of the river at different points, an increase of 3,000 pounds over the 4.7 tons picked up in 2007. Out of these six tons of stuff now removed from the riverbanks and actual river, 4,101 pounds were considered recyclable – glass, metal, plastic and more — and sent to Earthworks Recycling. This figure is also higher than the 2,500 pounds of recyclables gathered last year. The Spokane River Clean-Up is organized each year by Friends of the Falls and has become a popular fall environmental event. This year, volunteer cleaners were divided into more than 40 teams, all with different animal-themed names. Each group took a different territory, including the confluence of Hangman Creek, the Spokane River Gorge, the Iron Bridge and Upriver. Some did it all on foot, others mobilized a fleet of environmentally-sound bikes. And others were a little more creative and daring and went onto the water. Why is this done each year? To clean the river of course, one of the prime goals of Friends of the Falls. It has also been a fun way for people to know they can be involved in helping their community and that even a contribution of a few hours of labor can make a big difference in the overall quality of our natural landscape. As it has grown, it has attracted various civic clubs, co-workers and high school groups. Spokane Mayor Verner came out this year to say a few words. Many businesses also sponsor the event in different ways, including offering prizes and goodies for the bags. The Clean-Up has also become something of a competition, as cleaner-uppers vie to discover the most unusual item or other ‘worthy’ categories, such as useful/valuable, beautiful/pretty, sad/creepy and humorous/entertaining. This year, treasures ranged from hubcaps to furniture to syringes to TVs. Friends of the Falls reported that the best haul – a complete and completely rusted Studebaker door – was retrieved by Brett, Kristen and Jasper Danielson. Friends of the Falls are already making plans for 2009, tentatively set for Oct. 3. For more information visit Friends of the Falls