Cleaning up a local river or stream is a great way to bring your community together and build your chapter volunteer base.
Your cleanup event can be a simple DIY affair, or a more complex partnership events, or even incorporate fishing, food or family-friendly activities before or after. Either way you choose to do it, nothing beats the opportunity to get your community outside and enjoying the outdoors while making a difference
Find An Existing Event
Chances are, there’s already a trash cleanup near you that you can participate in, and you may not need to plan your own!
First, check the TU Event Calendar to see a nearby chapter has a trash cleanup already planned and consider joining them for a larger impact – or making it a cleanup day among all the chapters in your state! Check the community calendars as well to see if the land trust, watershed association, parks department or other partner organization is planning a cleanup tat your chapter could join in support rather than start up your own, new event.
Event Planning
Determine the event vision
Is your chapter looking to organize a one-time event, start an annual community clean-up day, or something else entirely? Once a vision is in mind, you will be able to think through the logistics, collaborate with partners, recruit volunteers, secure local sponsors, develop a marketing plan and more.
Confirm logistics
Research the conditions for the site you are considering. Be aware of safety concerns, parking, safe access to the river and amenities like public restrooms or water fountains to make for a safe, enjoyable and effective event.
Determine what supplies and resources you need for the cleanup. Will you provide gloves, bags and tools or ask volunteers to bring their own? Do you need to secure a dumpster from the town, or get one donated from a local trash hauler, or can you use the municipal dumpster located at a nearby park?
Do you have a TU tent and tablecloth? Event signage? Volunteer sign-up forms and waivers? Snacks, drinks and a first aid kit?
Take some time to consider how to incorporate some fun and engagement into the event. Will you offer a trash bingo card competition (first person to collect a shoe, soda can, t-shirt, 3 feet of fishing line and a piece of Styrofoam gets a prize)? Is there a prize for the most unique item found? For the biggest item hauled form the stream? For the most trash collected by one person?
Once the event vision is more concrete, determine the volunteer support that will be necessary to have a safe and fun event. This may include a set-up crew, greeters at a registration table, volunteer photographer, refreshment staff, event clean-up team and more.
Recruit support
Work with your chapter volunteers to determine how to best market your event and reach the target audiences in your community – not just your current TU members – who you hope to recruit as volunteers. Create your registration and promotion page on the TU Event Calendar, prepare a press releases, social media messaging, email invitations and don’t forget word of mouth and other personal invites.
During the Event
Kick off the event with a warm welcome complete with an inspirational message and logistics (waivers, safety reminder, event plan, etc.). This offers a great start to a great day for participants with clear guidance and a time to ask questions.
Throughout the event, plan to have a few leaders check-in with participants to share appreciation for their help and address any questions. This helps provide information and build rapport amongst the participants and the event organizers.
Remember, capturing images of people having fun and making a difference are a great way to show impact, celebrate your volunteers and make future events even more attractive to attend. Before and after photographs can be a good storytelling tactic as well. Consider recruiting at least one photography volunteer whose entire job that day is not to pick up trash, but to capture compelling images.
Post Event Impact
Consider organizing a press release to share with local media highlighting the impact from your effort. This is a great way to show appreciation for those who participated as well as raise awareness in the community.