The River des Peres is an annual clean-up of the River des Peres watershed
As Missouri Stream Team #5, we see this as an extension of our annual Operation Clean Stream Program. We are happy to offer these opportunities throughout the St. Louis region each year.
In 2024, River des Peres Trash Bash will be October 26th! Create a profile on our volunteer platform, volunteer.openspacestl.org, and ‘fan’ RDP Trash Bash to never miss an update. Registration will open mid-September.
Passport to Clean Water and River des Peres Watershed Coalition Picnic at Willmore Park
Following a morning of hard work cleaning up trash, volunteers were invited to attend a picnic and watershed celebration at Willmore Park. This event is hosted in partnership with the River des Peres Watershed Coalition, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Great Rivers Greenway, and the EarthWays Center. Join us here for Passport to Clean Water, an educational event where kids can learn about regional land and water stewardship in the River des Peres watershed.
Thank you to our Passport vendors for their educational booths and to our volunteers who helped make this event possible.
How to:
Registration opens 4-6 weeks before the event on our volunteer portal. Click here to create an account, sign your annual waiver, and ‘fan’ the River des Peres Trash Bash program so you never miss an opportunity!
During the annual event, volunteers come together to help clean up the rivers and creeks within the River des Peres Watershed. Volunteers choose from multiple clean-up locations or storm drain marking sites each year. All clean-up opportunities have a site supervisor present to provide volunteers with supplies, sign-in participants and lead them through the clean-up of the chosen site.
All sites are given a grading scale to help you determine which location is best suited for each household for volunteer accessibility – Click here to view the Clean Up Site – Grading Scale.
Volunteers are the backbone of our clean-ups, and we need your help in our continued efforts to protect and preserve our land and waterways. We know your time is valuable, but everyone deserves clean water. Look at the difference volunteers can make if everyone gave just one hour of their time. We could remove tons of trash, create a better habitat for wildlife, and protect our waterways from pollution so that everyone can enjoy the benefit of clean water!
Volunteers are always encouraged to take pictures and share them on social media using the #RiverDesPeresTrashBash so that everyone can join in the fun!
Reports:
Stay tuned for the 2023 River des Peres Trash Bash report to see all your hard work via numbers and photos!
Click here to view the complete River des Peres Trash Bash 2022 Report
Resources:
Check out this video from The Greenway Network about why clean-ups like these are crucial in protecting our waterways.
To learn more about storm inlet marking, click here for a short informational video!
Questions about how to get involved? Please contact Hannah Gibson, Volunteer Program Manager, at hannah@openspacestl.org or call our office at 314-835-9225
Budget Dumpster:
In 2023, Budget Dumpster generously reached out and donated an additional dumpster for use in the River des Peres Trash Bash. Check out their article about our event here!
Budget Dumpster is a dumpster rental company that serves homeowners, business owners, and nonprofits across the United States. They covered the cost of the roll-off dumpster rental and waste disposal through its in-kind Dumpster Donation program, which supports nonprofits in a variety of ways.
By having an additional dumpster, our municipal waste hauling partners, consisting of 5 cities and 19 public works staff, did not have to travel as far with their dump trucks full of volunteer-collected trash. This allowed for a more efficient waste management plan and less mileage for the trucks. This dumpster, strategically placed at Brentwood Sports Complex, was an incredible asset to our event and allowed us to increase our impact in protecting our River des Peres Watershed for environmental protection and community health.
For more information on how you can use Budget Dumpster for your trash hauling needs, visit https://www.budgetdumpster.com/st-louis-mo-dumpster-rental-missouri.php or call 314-480-5878
Partners and Sponsors:
OS-STL is grateful for our River des Peres Trash Bash partners River des Peres Watershed Coalition, Great Rivers Greenway, EarthWays Center, St. Louis County Parks, MSD Project Clear, and Missouri Stream Team who provide funding, guidance, and resources to make this event possible.
Thank you to our 2023 River des Peres Trash Bash sponsors Spire, Boeing, and Budget Dumpster, whose contributions allowed us to expand our impact and continue to keep our watershed clean.
