Volunteers Clean 2.8K Pounds of Trash From Anacostia

A group of about 60 volunteers descended upon the shores of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River yesterday to try and make the oft-neglected waterway a little bit cleaner.

The cleanup was organized by the Anacostia Watershed Society. 

At the end of the event, after about three hours of work, they had pulled an estimated 2,875 pounds of litter of all shapes and sizes from the waterway and its shores. That translates to about 115 large plastic bags of trash, plus 2 shopping carts, a rake, a car door, a scooter and a motorcycle. 

Despite the seemingly impressive haul, what was taken out yesterday pales in comparison to the amount of litter which enters the river on an annual basis. About 20,000 tons of trash enters the Anacostia and its tributaries every year, according to Jorge Bogantes Montero, conservation biologist with Anacostia Watershed Society.

Volunteers at yesterday's event included groups from American University, the University of Maryland, PricewaterhouseCoopers, DeMatha Catholic High School and the University of Maryland's chapter of CIVICUS, a living and learning organization for young people.