Car, Boat, Plow, Shed, Mower and much more: RHA Cleanup Volunteers Pick Up 21+ tons of Trash

The rusted remains of a car. A battered, mud-covered hulk of a boat. A heavy metal plow attachment. A storage shed and a lawnmower, but not together. A dumpster stuck in the mud. A drone in its original case. A wildlife camera. Tires, mattresses, patio furniture, bikes, car parts, shopping carts, and kitchen cabinets.

These are among the unusual items found by volunteers during the 36th annual Stream Cleanup sponsored by the nonprofit Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) on Saturday, April 18. More than 1,000 volunteers picked up over 21 tons of trash and litter at 72 streamside sites throughout Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris counties.

“It’s incredible what makes its way into the water and the flood plain,” said Rachel Garcia, RHA’s Water Resources Associate, who coordinated the cleanup effort. “Clearly, we had a lot of strong volunteers to be able to move those heavy items – we were lucky to have their help.”

As in previous years, the event drew individuals, families, scout troops, and groups from local schools, churches, businesses, environmental commissions, and other civic organizations. For three hours, the volunteers fanned out on land along rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and reservoirs in the upper Raritan River watershed.

Mara Tippett, RHA’s executive director, thanked the volunteers for making an immediate, positive impact on the health of the watershed. “It always amazes me how much can be accomplished in just one morning when everyone works together,” she said.

“Everything dumped on the land eventually ends up in the water,” Tippett noted. “The Stream Cleanup not only beautifies the watershed, but also helps protect aquatic life and the 1.8 million New Jerseyans who rely on the upper Raritan River for drinking water.”

According to Garcia, more than 38,000 individual pieces of trash were picked up, most of them small. The most common finds were plastic wrappers (6,407), plastic bottles (6,151), cigarette butts (5,423), aluminum cans (4,200), and glass bottles (3,438). A total of 117 car and truck tires were removed.

To maintain keep year-to-year statistics, volunteer cleanup teams carefully logged each item picked up so it could be entered into RHA’s Stream Cleanup database. The total weight of trash removed during this year’s event – 42,662 pounds – was nearly double that of the year before.

 “It’s a huge amount,” said Garcia. “A lot of that can be attributed to the addition of 10 new cleanup sites this year.”

Since 1959, Raritan Headwaters Association has focused on clean water. RHA engages citizens and decision-makers in protecting the Raritan River headwaters region and beyond through science, education, land preservation, and advocacy.  

RHA’s 470-square-mile region provides clean drinking water to 300,000 residents across 38 municipalities in Somerset, Hunterdon, and Morris counties, and directly affects over 1.5 million homes and businesses in New Jersey's densely populated urban areas. To learn more about Raritan Headwaters and its programs, please visit www.raritanheadwaters.org or call 908-234-1852.