Thousands of Area Volunteers Take Part in Making the Potomac River Trash Free

WASHINGTON, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of residents throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia joined the Alice Ferguson Foundation's fight against litter on Saturday, April 10, 2010.  Adults and kids alike will volunteer during the month of April at 490 cleanup sites for the 22nd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup.  The effort to remove trash and debris from the Potomac through organized cleanup sites will continue over the next few weeks with partner organizations.

"I would like to thank all of our partners, sponsors and the volunteers who came out to make this region-wide cleanup possible," said Tracy Bowen, Executive Director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation.  "Each year the number of volunteers grows, making it clear that we are doing our job in spreading awareness around the issue of litter."

Families, student groups, community groups, nonprofits, government agencies, elected officials, and concerned citizens spent Saturday removing, bagging, and hauling litter from the water and shoreline.  Among the collected detritus were plastic bags, bottles, tires and construction debris not to mention the byproducts from illegal dumping and solid waste that has washed down from the storm drain system.  

Preliminary reporting by 105 (21% of total) of the cleanup sites indicates that more than 59.7 tons of trash has been gathered.  This includes the following items:

• 63,200 Recyclable beverage containers
• 14,033 Plastic Bags
• 10,508 Cigarette Butts

The cleanup is part of the Alice Ferguson Foundation's aggressive litter prevention campaign. The Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative seeks to make the Potomac Watershed trash free by 2013.  The program sets out to change behavior and mind set among individuals in an effort to curb the tendency to litter.  The campaign depends heavily on the many supporters who spend time volunteering at cleanup sites.

Photos and further information are available upon request.  If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with the Alice Ferguson Foundation throughout the month of April, please visit the Cleanup Web Site at www.PotomacCleanup.org or contact Becky Horner at 202.518.7415.

About the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup

Since 1989, the Alice Ferguson Foundation has spearheaded the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup.  Now the largest regional event of its kind, the cleanup has engaged more than 50,000 volunteers and over 375 partner organizations since its inception.  Committed to reducing litter, supporters of the initiative have removed over 3 million tons of trash from the Watershed's streams, rivers and bays.  In 2009, volunteers participating in the cleanup found:

• 151.3 tons of loose trash (i.e. furniture, scrap metal & debris, etc);
• 26.18 tons of tires;
• 9,103 bags of trash and recyclables;
• The tops brands in the water included 7-Eleven, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Budweiser/Bud Light, and Pepsi.

About the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative

The Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative (TFPWI), is a region-wide effort spearheaded by the Alice Ferguson Foundation to reduce trash and litter, increase recycling, education, and awareness of trash issues in the Potomac Watershed.  The primary goal of TFPWI is to have a "Trash Free Potomac by 2013."  The goals of TFPWI are being addressed through the Potomac River Watershed Trash Treaty, Annual Potomac River Watershed Trash Summit, Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup, and Regional Public Education & Awareness Campaigns.  For more information on these programs or to volunteer, visit WWW.PotomacCleanup.org or call 202.518.7417.

About the Alice Ferguson Foundation

The Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) was established in 1954 as a non-profit organization chartered in the state of Maryland.  Its mission is to provide experiences that encourage connections between people, the natural environment, farming and the cultural heritage of the Potomac River Watershed, which lead to personal environmental responsibility.  AFF shares the wonder and excitement of the Potomac River, a 330-acre working farm (Hard Bargain Farm), woods and wetlands each year with more than 10,000 students from the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area.  For more information, please visit www.fergusonfoundation.org.  

Sponsors

District Department of the Environment; NOAA; The Summit Fund of Washington; Altria/National Fish & Wildlife Fund; Chesapeake Bay Trust; Telemundo Washington, DC; National Park Service; Ruder Finn; Keith Campbell Foundation; Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; Greener Results Consulting; Exxon Mobil; House of Sweden; OpinionWorks; Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.; Covanta Energy; Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC; REI; Urban Service; Billy Buck, Buck & Associates Realtors; Safeway; Winchester Homes; HMSHost Corporation; DC WASA; Kohl's of Waldorf, MD; Noral Group International

SOURCE Alice Ferguson Foundation