From Toilets to Sofas: Find it All in the Anacostia River

Last year, approximately 2,000 volunteers helped remove 335 tires and 2,600 bags of trash and recyclable materials, totaling 42 tons, from the Anacostia River during the Earth Day Cleanup.

Among those items: five TVs, three toilets, three sofas, one refrigerator, 18 chairs, three tents, seven bikes, two mattresses and one newspaper vending box for the Washington Star.

More than 2,000 volunteers are expected to continue the work this coming Saturday.

Volunteers will be working to remove trash and debris at 40 cleanup sites along the shores of the Anacostia River in Washington and several upstream tributaries in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Additional volunteers will also be planting trees in a wetland restoration project in Bladensburg.

The event is part of the Anacostia Watershed Society’s 23rd annual Earth Day Cleanup & Celebration, and The Nature Conservancy’s Picnic for the Planet. Volunteers will clean from 9 to 11:30 a.m., then gather at noon at RFK Stadium parking lot #6 for a free picnic lunch, live reggae music, face painting, soccer field, interactive displays, giveaways and exhibits from community organizations.

D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells and 25 representatives of the DC United soccer team will be at the Kingman Island cleanup site. Wells and DC United forward Josh Wolfe – along with team mascot Talon – will also participate in the celebration.

Speakers include DC Mayor Vincent Gray, Wells, District Department of the Environment Director Christophe Tulou, representatives from AWS Earth Day Platinum Sponsor CSX Corporation and supporter EarthShare, as well as AWS President Jim Foster.

Want to volunteer? Find more here.