You may think the fast food wrapper that was in the ditch yesterday disappeared, but in reality, it was blown or washed just a little further down the road. Eventually, it will arrive in our waterways.

“The sad part about litter is that it hurts everyone,” said Chad Essick, NC Big Sweep chairman. “It affects our economy, our health, and our wildlife.”

Last year, Big Sweep volunteers retrieved everything from cups and cans to lawn chairs and beds.

“Unfortunately, there is more litter out there that needs to be retrieved,” said Essick. “We really need your help before it causes any more harm to our environment.”

In Polk County, the Green River Gorge is a major asset in terms of natural beauty and tourism dollars. The tens of thousands of citizens and visitors that come to the Green River however often leave debris and litter along the river and the adjacent roadsides.

Each year, a small but dedicated group of volunteers put in a few morning hours to clean-up the accumulated trash, for the benefit of all of Polk County. Once again, we are calling on the local citizens to help out this year on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 26. An additional Big Sweep effort will be held the morning of Oct.5, and will focus on Lake Adger.

To get involved, Polk County Big Sweep will have two efforts on the Green River. The Lake Adger clean-up on Oct. 5 will be from boats, concentrating on trash collected in coves. Anyone interested in helping out can contact Jamie Davidson at lakeadger.lamc@yahoo.com.

The Green River clean-up on Oct. 26 will begin at 9 a.m. from the Fishtop Access parking area on Green River Cove Road. Please contact Mark Byington at 828-859-6874 or go to the Big Sweep website at www.ncbigsweep.org to learn more.

– article submitted by Mark Byington