Courtesy Photo/KTMB - Leo Horishney (left) and another volunteer pick up a box spring that had been dumped illegally in Sun Valley during Saturday’s Great Truckee Meadows Community Cleanup, held each year since 2006 by non-profit Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. This year’s effort collected 78 tons of illegally dumped trash from public lands.
Volunteers also removed more than 80 yards of invasive weeds from along the Truckee River. The focus on invasive weeds is important as they use more water, are more flammable and more toxic than native weeds.
The amount of trash collected this year, 78 tons, is significantly less than the 144 tons of trash removed during the 2007 event, according to KTMB.
The cleanup began in 2006 as a part of a community-based effort to preserve the natural beauty of local recreation areas and remove the hazards associated with illegal dump sites.
“Volunteers and local residents all report that they are seeing less illegal dump sites every year,” said Christi Cakiroglu, KTMB executive director. “With the ongoing commitment of the Illegal Dumping Task Force, the implementation of the 329-DUMP hotline, the Washoe County Sherriff’s Office illegal dump stings and our continued efforts to promote the proper disposal of common household items through KTMB’s Recycling Guide, we are making major strides in reducing this blight, health and fire hazard."
For more information about KTMB, call 851-5185 or visit www.ktmb.org.
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