Cleanup Targets Plastic Waste, More, Along Mississippi River
Single-use plastics and Styrofoam have become more common finds, organizers say, as volunteers prepare for a morning of trash removal along the river.
ALTON - Volunteers will take to the Mississippi River by boat on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, for the Annual Great Mississippi River Clean Up, hosted by the Sierra Club Illinois Piasa Palisades Group, in an effort to remove trash and protect the regional ecosystem.
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The cleanup is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. Christine Favilla of the Sierra Club said this year’s event will be held below the Melvin Price Lock and Dam, with boats launching from the Maple Island Access area in West Alton, Mo. rather than the Lincoln Shields Rec Center.
Participants will drive past the Audubon Center about two miles, then turn left toward the dam’s parking lot, Favilla said.
Volunteers are still needed, Favilla said. Organizers will provide a free boat ride, lunch, a commemorative T-shirt and cleanup supplies, including gloves and bags.
Favilla said the event normally draws 60 to 70 volunteers. She said several factors help determine cleanup locations, including water levels and teal hunting season in certain areas.
Favilla said the types of trash found along the river have changed over time. Large items such as appliances and broken cars are no longer as common, she said, while single-use plastic, Styrofoam and alcohol shot containers have increased. She said organizers have seen less fishing wire and line.
A lot of litter comes from roadways and is washed into waterways, Favilla said. She said torrential rains can overflow stormwater systems, sending trash from land to streams, rivers and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
The litter harms habitats, including areas fish use to spawn, and affects fish digestion, Favilla said.
An alternative land-based option, the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary Clean-Up, also is listed as part of the event information.
Sign up here to volunteer.
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