2026 Confluence Trash Bash - Saturday, April 11th Protect Land and Water in the St. Louis Area

Join hundreds of volunteers at the 2026 Confluence Trash Bash to help restore the Mississippi and Missouri River watersheds this spring.

Christine Favilla

Mar 31, 2026 10:47 AM

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ST. LOUIS - Be part of one of the largest volunteer clean-up events in the metro area and help beautify the Mississippi and Missouri River watersheds.

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Open Space STL and its partners invite the public to be part of the 2026 Confluence Trash Bash, happening April 11th in the St. Louis area. Confluence Trash Bash partners for 2026 include; Great Rivers Greenway, MSD Project Clear, the Earthways Center, Saint Louis County Parks and Recreation Department, Missouri Department of Transportation, The Audubon Center at Riverlands, Mississippi River Water Trail Association, The Alpine Shop, Missouri Stream Teams, and The Sierra Club.

One of the largest annual cleanup efforts in the area, the Confluence Trash Bash is a chance to help clean up the rivers and creeks within the Lower Missouri River and Mississippi watersheds. Volunteers can sign up to volunteer and choose from multiple cleanup locations or storm drain marking sites within the watershed beginning. Site leaders will be present at each cleanup location to provide instructions and supplies and to lead the cleanup.

The event is free, and all volunteers will be provided with work gloves and trash bags to use for the cleanups. Participants will also receive a free t-shirt while supplies last. Volunteers must pre-register and complete a liability waiver to receive their free t-shirt, select a cleanup site, and help event organizers coordinate supplies. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to help with this Trash Bash, but children must have adult supervision.

During the 2025 Confluence Trash Bash, we had quite the impact on our watersheds:

504 volunteers
70 tons of trash removed
233 tires cleared out
30 clean up sites
12 municipalities participated
67 storm drains marked

Volunteers are encouraged to join us at The Audubon Center at Riverlands from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM for a post-clean up picnic as well as the Passport to Clean Water, an educational program for youth. Learn about water quality and conservation with many environmental partners from across the region.

To register for the Piasa Palisades Group’s site, please visit: sc.org/trashbash2026

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If you’d like to view the different locations’ sign ups through Open Space STL’s volunteer platform, go to https://volunteer.openspacestl.org/

Questions? Contact Open Space STL at 314-835-9225 or info@openspacestl.org or Sierra Club at 618-401-7870 or christine.favilla@sierraclub.org.

Special thanks to all our partners! Confluence Trash Bash 2026 is a collaborative effort by Open Space STL, Great Rivers Greenway, Earthways Center, MSD Project Clear, Saint Louis County Parks, and Missouri Stream Teams, Missouri Department of Transportation, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, Spanish Lake Clean & Green Committee, Little Creek Nature Area, Missouri Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Madison County, Illinois, Mississippi River Water Trail Association, Audubon Society/Riverlands and the Sierra Club - Illinois Chapter - Piasa Palisades Group.

Through coordinated efforts, we annually host the #ConfluenceTrashBash and #RiverdesPeresTrashBash.

About OSC

Open Space STL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and restoring open space lands in the St. Louis region. As stewards of nature, OS-STL works to maintain the integrity of land and waterways for recreation, practical purposes, and their natural beauty, to be enjoyed now and for generations to come. Through community building programs such as Operation Clean Stream and Trash Bashes, Open Space STL seeks to raise awareness about the importance of land and water conservation and the value of clean water. In addition to restoring and maintaining the region’s already dedicated open spaces, the organization actively works to identify areas that can be acquired and set aside for public use and discourages improper land use and detrimental development. Acting as a Land Trust, OS-STL raises and provides funds for new open space projects, offering land owners an alternative to development. Open Space STL recognizes our region is fortunate to have designated national, state, and local parks as well as other open spaces. At OS-STL, we work hard to protect this great privilege.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

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