River des Peres Trash Bash October 16 thru the 23rd!

The Open Space Council, along with our partners from Great Rivers Greenway, MSD Project Clear, the River des Peres Watershed Coalition, and Earthways Center are excited to announce the dates for this year’s River des Peres Trash Bash!

Come out and help clean up the rivers and creeks within the River des Peres Watershed! Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, our annual cleanup event will be in a self-guided format, but we still need your help to take care of this valuable natural resource in our community. Volunteers can choose from multiple self-guided cleanup or storm drain marking sites within the watershed. Instead of a one-day cleanup, you can remove trash and debris at your desired site anytime between October 16th and 23rd. You can also choose to mark a storm drain inlet. Storm drain marking kits will be provided at your selected location on October 16th. Want to learn more about storm drain marking?

Click here for a short informational video! or Click Here to Volunteer for the Trash Bash!

Work gloves and trash bags will be provided. The event is free, but volunteers are asked to preregister to select a cleanup site and help event organizers coordinate supplies. Upon registering, volunteers will receive confirmation emails regarding collecting trash and where to place garbage collected.

To help you determine what site is best suited for your household, all sites have been given a grading scale for volunteer accessibility – the grading scale is below:

Grade A: On Land – Flat. Open. Suitable for all ages and some limited mobility. On Water – Easy Float.

Grade B: On Land – Some Slopes. Some Brush. Recommended for ages nine and up. Full mobility suggested. On Water – Moderate float for those with some experience.

Grade C: On Land – Heavy trash. Heavy brush. Steep slopes. Complete mobility is needed. Recommended for ages 16 and up. On Water – Moderately Strenuous float for those who are experienced paddlers.

Grade D: On Land – Experienced volunteers only. Heavy lifting. Steep slopes. Heavy brush. May involve heavy equipment and power tools for the majority of trash removed. On Water – Strenuous float only for experienced paddlers and can respond to quickly changing conditions on the water.

Volunteers are the backbone of our cleanups, and we need you to help in our continued efforts to protect and preserve our land and waterways. Just check out this photo from the Confluence Trash Bash in April 2021. We know your time is valuable but look at the difference a couple of hours can make. This image is from one volunteer at one park! If everyone gave just one hour of their time, we could remove tons of trash, create a better habitat for wildlife, and protect natural spaces that everyone can enjoy!

Volunteers are encouraged to get outside with their families and take pictures so that everyone can join in the fun. Share them on social media using the hashtag #RdPTrashBash2021 or email them to stephanie@openspacestl.org