30th annual Ohio River Sweep set for June 15

May 27, 2019 | 3:30 am

Updated May 24, 2019 | 12:26 pm

The Ohio River Sweep -- a volunteer, riverbank cleanup -- will take place on June 15 for the local area. The event covers six different states and multiple counties placed along the Ohio River, including Daviess County. Volunteers will remove litter at various locations along the river and many of its tributaries. | Photo by AP Imagery

The Ohio River Sweep — a volunteer, riverbank cleanup — will take place on June 15 for the local area. The event covers six different states and multiple counties placed along the Ohio River, including Daviess County. Volunteers will remove litter at various locations along the river and many of its tributaries.

2019 marks the Ohio River Sweep’s 30th year in existence. Daviess County’s designated site will be located at English Park and trash and debris collection will begin at 8 a.m.

The award-winning cleanup project has made headlines since 1989, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) website. During a single day, thousands of people volunteer their time to remove trash from the Ohio River’s shoreline and deposit that trash into collection sites along the river.

“The volunteers for the Ohio River Sweep have made tremendous progress cleaning the Ohio River,” the site reads. “Yet, litter continues to be a global problem. Volunteers make a positive impact in the Ohio River watershed by participating in the Ohio River Sweep.”

States participating in the Ohio River Sweep include Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

The Ohio River Sweep stretches across 3,000 miles of shoreline that includes both sides of the Ohio River and seven tributaries located in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Sixty-six different counties will host one or more cleanup locations, totalling 151 sites.

In previous years, around 320 tons of trash have been collected from the Ohio River shorelines during the river sweep.

Trash bags and t-shirts are provided for volunteers who participate in the sweep. Those wishing to volunteer can check out the volunteer waiver here and contact Daviess County Sweep Coordinator Scott Payne at [email protected] for more information.

According to the event’s site, anyone wishing to make a difference in the quality of the Ohio River Valley can participate. All trash collected is either recycled or disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner.

At least a ton of garbage is picked up at the Daviess County site each year, according to ORSANCO.

May 27, 2019 | 3:30 am

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