1,912 pounds of trash pulled from river

FLORENCE—Volunteers removed 1,912 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River on Sept. 20.

About 80 volunteers participated in the 10th annual Tennessee River Litter Tournament. They gathered at McFarland Park in Florence and Riverfront Park in Sheffield, while another group on a boat cleaned sloughs of Wilson Lake.

Kelly Balentine, Education and Outreach coordinator for Florence Solid Waste and Keep the Shoals Beautiful, said in addition to the trash, around 30 pounds of aluminum were collected for Constellium’s recycling program.

Among the items collected were tires, a mattress, a desk chair and a few oil drums.

Volunteers were encouraged to ‘fish for litter’ anywhere in the Shoals important to them.

A group from the University of North Alabama kayaked along McFarland Park to help with the cleanup, according to Balentine.

She emphasized how important the annual event is to raise awareness for the cleanup work taking place throughout the rest of the year, as well as encouraging people not to litter.

‘Somanypeopleareworking year around to clean up our cities,’ Balentine said. ‘Litter absolutely drives me insane, and I know I’m not the only one. This weekend, we looked at a ton of litter leaving our area’s waterways.’

The impact of those efforts extends beyond aesthetic appeal. Balentine said the wildlife in the Shoals will no longer be negatively impacted by the litter collected, nor harm citizens who consume fish from local waterways.

Additionally, she said the event helps folks build and take pride in their community.

‘It’s really a lot of fun,’ she said. ‘You meet all these people from both sides of the political spectrum, and they’re all out there working together.’

A larger citywide cleanup day will take place next March, but Balentine said plenty of smaller events will occur between now and then.

Any group or individual interested in having a cleanup day of their own can contact Keep the Shoals Beautiful at 256-764-4661 for information and resources.