Trash Tally Totals, 2016

Hello, River Reliefers! 

2016 was a great year for trash (how often do you hear that one?)
So we have compiled a detailed list of all the materials we picked up over the year, both big and small. 

But first, we would like to extend a tremendous thank you to everyone that has joined us for a clean-up, including volunteers, crew, and partner organizations. From St. Louis to Kansas City, 2016 was another remarkable year for Missouri River Relief, and we could not have done it without you!! 

With that, please take some time to bask in the itemized glory of garbage that can no longer call the Big Muddy home.

For fun, we separated trash into general categories...

Clothing:

1 flimsy gray brassiere

1 leopard print G-string

5 flip-flop

1 pair pink plastic sparkle sunglasses (lenses gone)

1 sneaker

1 pair of wet shoes

1 hard hat

1 tie

1 hat

3 gloves

Furniture and house fixtures:

15 chair

1 couch

1 mattress

3 rusted bed springs

1 dresser drawer (wooden)

1 mirror

1 chaise lounge (aqua)

1 door

Appliances: 

11 refrigerators

5 fridge door

7 refrigerator racks

1 refrigerator compressor with coils

4 TVs

2 chest freezer

1 garage door opener motor

1 oven grate

Toys and recreational items:

1 Frisbee

3 fishing pole

1 Snow Board

23 assorted balls (football, soccer, etc.)

1 toy chicken

1 toy sheep (contest winner)

1 red cardboard octopus (should have won the contest)

1 child’s 4-wheeler in pieces (steering wheel, axle, seat)

1 plastic toddler slide

3 plastic sleds

1 Tuggy the Tugboat

1 bicycle

1 blue plastic basketball hoop stand

1 piece of a swing set

1 Etch-a-Sketch

1 baby bottle

1 glow stick 

1 Dinosaur toy

1 Mr. Potato Head 

1 Space Panda

1 Anatomically Correct Baby Doll (It’s a Boy!)

1 Scooby Doo

1 Bowling Pin

1 bottle of blue glitter

1 green bottle of playdough 

1 Big Wheels

In fact, we almost found enough trash to construct a Missouri River Relief vehicle!!

443 tires 

4 car seat

1 car under-tray (commonly known as “bellypan”)

1 trailer hitch

3 car bumper

5 car body pieces

1 gas can

2 plastic mud flap

1 gas tank cover

1 car headlight

1 crank shaft

1 truck bed liner

1 car engine cover

1 gas pipe (6’ long)

Here is a shortened list of the complete 2016 trash tally...

956 Bags Trash

126 Bags Recyclables

443 tires 

34 55-gallon plastic barrels

11 refrigerators

49 large Styrofoam hunks

16 55-gallon metal barrel

39 5-gallon bucket

22 coolers

31 large tubs 

19 propane tank (small)

15 chair

2 chest freezer

1 500-gal metal tank (rusted)

1 oil drain pan

4 truck tire w/out rim

3 metal cable

2 fuel tank drum

3 wooden pallets

3 car wheels (steel)

1 5-gallon plastic oil container

1 large rubber circular trough

1 boat bumper

4 car seat

7 camper parts (Designer Series camper)

1 car undertray (commonly known as “bellypan”)

1 trailer hitch 

3 car bumper

5 car body pieces

4 large propane tanks

2 swimming pool parts

4.5 buoy

3 corrugated plastic pipe 

1 boat seat

4 PVC pipe 

1 yellow raft

2 country mailboxes (one with red flag up)

1 “Pittsburgh” US Geological Survey life vest

1 couch

3 rusted bed springs

3.5 full jugs of oil

1 oxygen tank

2 fence post

1 American Flag

1 section rusted iron gate

1 water jug

1 gas can

1 heavy aluminum pan

1 oven grate

1 sleeping bag (frog green)

3 fishing pole

2 television back

4 TVs

1 Christmas tree

1 valet sign

3 gloves

1 flimsy gray brassiere

1 Snow Board

1 sheet piling

1 leopard print g-string

3 metal drum

3 dirty diapers

2 plastic mud flap

1 door

1 gas tank cover

3 culvert

1 tent

1 cattle panel

12 hunks plastic

4 trash can lid

1 bed-liner

1 message in a bottle

1 car headlight

1 pump sprayer

2 garden hose

1 oil drain pan

1 gas tank cover

3 plastic milk crates

1 Freon tank

1 5-gallon stainless-steel milk can (very shiny)

1 2-cup glass measuring cup

3 paint cans 

9 large pieces scrap metal

1 20-foot steel cable

1 metal spring

1 bunch fake grapes

1 12-foot iron pipe

1 6-foot roll acrylic sheeting (very heavy)

3 seed starter flats

1 radio vacuum tube

1 picnic table base (tubular steel)

2 rubber hose

1 garage door opener motor

6 wooden plank

1 bin dog feeder

4 duck decoy

1 Frisbee

1 sand bucket

5 flip-flop

1 jet ski tread

2 ball bat

23 assorted balls (football, soccer, etc.)

1 toy chicken

1 toy sheep (contest winner)

1 red cardboard octopus (should have won the contest)

1 child’s 4-wheeler in pieces (steering wheel, axle, seat)

1 plastic toddler slide

3 plastic sleds

1 Tuggy the Tugboat

If you are interested in joining us for a Missouri River clean-up, visit our volunteer sign-up page, and stay up to-date on upcoming events by subscribing to our newsletter. 

See you on the river!

15 Years of Tallying Trash

Well, I don't think we kept accurate trash tallies in years 1-7...but we did start compiling them and publishing them on here all the way back to 2008 under the tag "Trash Tally's.

2016 will mark 15 years for Missouri River Relief.  So what can we say about all of this trash that YOU have helped us collect?  Well, let's take a look.  (Also, check out a cool photo compilation of our 2015 Treasures)

Here is just a partial list of what YOU helped clean up in 2015, from St. Louis to Omaha:

2015 Trash Tally

1,340 bags of trash
139 bags of recyclables
7,070 lbs of scrap metal
485 tires
2 tire rims
312 chunks o' styrofoam
32 propane tanks
150 fireworks remnants
6 refrigerators
1 chest freezer
4 hot water heaters
1 pressure tank
1 Freon tank
27 coolers
13.5 chairs
4 TVs
3 gas cans
5 metal gas tanks
2 duck decoys
1 goose decoy
4 fishing poles
1 bow and arrow
9 - 5-gal. metal buckets
16 - 55-gal. metal drums
43 - 55-gal. plastic barrels
61– 5 gal. plastic buckets
9 2-gallon plastic jugs
2 small metal drums
2 20-gallon plastic water tanks
3 200-gallon oil tanks
1 trash can
2 mattresses
3 box springs
1 air mattress
3 fire extinquishers

15 Most Unique Finds in 15 Years

1.  Messages in Bottles (approximately 40-50 over 15 yrs)
2.  Chicken Dance Elmo
3.  1 Sturgeon DNA Sample from the USFWS
4.  Beavis & Butthead sitting on a Couch
5.  Wind Chimes made out of Bud Light Bottles
6.  1 pair of ruby red slippers
7.  Full Jug of Atrazine
8.  Pair of Angel Wings
9.  Giant Candle shaped like a Strawberry
10.  1957 fiberglass Saber boat
11.  1 set of national bylaws from the Hell's Lovers Motorcycle club
12.  1 Kilo of Cocaine wrapped in duct tape -turned into police
13.  Cobbler’s Shoes
14.  1 shot-up Sign that reads: “$50 Reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of any person or persons found willfully mutilating or destroying this sign. The O.J. Gude Co. NY”
15.  Dead Baby Dolls--Doll Parts-- and one Inflatable Love Doll

plus many, many more strange and unique items:

Saddest Item:  Dead Garter Snake entwined in Fishing Line
Strangest:  so many kids toys, how do these end up in the river?
Curious:  I always find it strange that we find so many fire extinguishers, we probably find at least 5 a year.

1 replica of the Ameristar Casino behind the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles
1 Leopard Print Stiletto
1 boot filled with concrete
2 1/2  Jet Ski's
1 Nintendo Gun
1 Blow Up Can of Pork and Beans
Hot Tubs (at least 3)
1 “The 4 Most Important Things I Know” CD by Pastor Brian Zahnd with the Word of Life Church in St. Joe, MO still in the wrapper
2 live blue catfish attached to a free floating jug
1 antique sewing machine
1 airplane sponson (pontoon)
1 frisbee "Look Who's Over the Hill and Can Still Get it Up"
1 plastic Swampthing Toy
1 Dog Collar w/ complete dog skeleton & rabies tag
 The body of an Electric Guitar
1 unopened bag of Fruity Pebbles
1 framed dolphin print
1 desk and the entire contents of a person’s office, including file cabinet, electronic goods, computer manuals, briefcase, a Bible and much, much more dumped along the Riverfront trail and covered with a tarp
1 Adam Sandler DVD "Going Overboard"
1 Glass Chandelier
1 Studebaker hubcap signed on the inside with a name & city from Oklahoma
1 full, sealed bottle of Virex AIDS medication (valued at $400)
1 steel trap w/ finger bones
1 My Little Pony Lunch Box
1 very ugly Old Woman Rubber Mask
3+ Christmas Trees
1 Teletubby
1 Piano
1 16” Ice Skate
Several Ceramic Toilets

And the Kitchen Sink!

and then there's the...

Top 10 Most Common Items Found on the Missouri River

#1 - Styrofoam
#2 - "single-use" Plastic Bottles
#3 - "single-use" Plastic Bags & Food Wrappers
#4 - Other Plastics (bottle caps, straws, chewing tobacco cans and 5-hour energy bottles)
#5 - Tires
#6 Plastic Buckets, Barrels, Tubs & Coolers
#7 - Scrap Metal (steel cables, rods, angle iron, metal strips, poles, t-posts, sheet metal, rebar, etc.)
#8 Balls of every shape, size & color
#9 Shoes & Flip Flops
#10 - Fireworks Remnants, Party & Fisherman's Trash

This is obviously a very generalized list for a graphic I'd like to work up.  But I think it reflects what we find out there based on compilations of trash tally's I have been pouring through.  Since we don't tear open every bag of trash and count it, I really can't give you accurate data.  Just pieces.  Like this one...

Washington River Festival Trash Tally!

Washington River Festival and Missouri River Clean-up

Rennick Riverfront Park, Washington, MO
Rivermile 68.3
April 18, 2015

Check out complete event results here. 

Clean-up Results Snapshot

Augusta Arts Alliance created this catfish from river trash and
stuff picked up from the parking lot!

Volunteers - 168
Boats - 5
Rivermiles - 7 (mm 64.3 – 71)
River Level - 6.2 ft. on Washington gage
Tires - 46 (estimated .8 tons)
Landfill Trash - 3.6 tons (est.)
Scrap Metal - .3 tons
Recyclables - .6 tons
Total Tonnage - an estimated 5.3 tons

Agencies & Groups involved - Missouri River Relief Crew, Missouri River Relief Crew, Kohl’s, Walmart, Brentwood High School National Honor Society, Missouri Stream Teams 1, 211, 4660, 3419, 1875, Kayak Swarm, Washington University

Clean-up Team Names - River Dawgs, River Trolls, Swear Bears, Largemouth Bass, Crushers, Cobras, Mighty Unicorns, Pink River Dolphins, Morels, Trash Trolls, Unerstall Family

Trash Tally!!!

193 Bags Trash!!

plus…

Hot Water Heater...the hard way. 

39 tires on wheels

4 tires w/out wheels

1 fat tire tricycle

2 motorcycle tires

1 half dolly

16 glass medical injection vials

1 10’ antenna tower

1 propane tank

1 Freon tank

1 hot water heater

9 coolers

1 30 gallon water tank

Medicine vials found on the river. 

2 Corps of Engineers dike markers: REV2865STA 11+31 & END OF ROCK PILE #2

1 guy wire anchor

1 refrigerator

1 hot water heater

1 bed spring frame

17 very large chunks of Styrofoam

1 large sheet corrugated metal

11 plastic bins (2 with lids)

1 half jet ski

6 chairs

1 basketball

1 football

3 softballs

Message in a bottle!

1 baseball bat1 1” thick heavy duty PVC pipe, 4 feet long

1 buoy

9 50-gallon plastic barrels (3 with lids)

3 50-gallon metal barrels

17 5-gallon plastic buckets

5 5-gallon metal buckets

7 2-gallon plastic jugs

1 2-gallon metal oil can

2014 Trash Tally!

"I bet you find the craziest stuff in that river..."  

 

Yes we do.  If I had to pull out the 10 strangest things we pulled out of the river this year, they would be:

1.  A "Chicken Dance" Elmo Doll

2.  A plastic pair of Angel Wings

3.  A full sized Keg of Beer floating down the river (only the top 1/4 of it was above the water)

4.  1 full jug of Atrazine

5.  A Message in a Bottle from 1964, thrown in at "Jesse James Hideaway Cave"

6.  2 Cobbler's Shoes (found separately)

7.  A metal flower that had been welded together

8.  A giant Candle shaped & painted like a strawberry

9.  The body of an Electric Guitar

10.  1 plush "Newborn Chimp" covered in stick-tites

Gee, that was kind of hard to narrow down, between all of the other messages in bottles, decrepit baby doll parts and strange things we've found like a fiberglass boat from 1957.  I'll let you browse through the full trash tally below.  Enjoy!

Here's a sample of what volunteers hauled out of the Missouri River in 2014.  Special thanks to our trash archivist, aka Tally-Ho, Ruthie Moccia for diligently recording these lists.  Also, check out our 2014 "Trash Treasures" photo album!

1,309 bags of trash
128 bags of recylcables
564 tires
7 tons of scrap metal
12 refrigerators
3 chest freezers
111 chunks o’ Styrofoam
22 coolers
21 chairs
38 - 55-gal. plastic barrels
48 - 5-gal. plastic buckets
21 - 55 gal. metal drums (one with unknown chemical)
1 - 55 gal. barrel full of camping equipment
11 - 5-gal. metal buckets
23 plastic tubs
16 propane & freon tanks
4 water heaters
200 aerosol cans
21 TVs (does this include ramp cleanup?  Go back & check)
12 car headlights
1 microwave
53 light bulbs
1 florescent tube
7 duck decoys
1 goose decoy
2 mattresses
5 box springs
1 – 1000 gal. farm spray tank
5 messages in a bottle (one from 1964)
1 message on a ping pong ball
19mm handgun
1 Smoke Grenade Canister
1 1982 World's Fair plastic cup
1 stainless steel vegetable steamer
several railroad ceramic insulators
The bow of a canoe with the name painted “BLU BY U”
3 foot piece of plastic culvert
4 plastic milk crates
1 extenstion cord
1 vinyl record
2 cassette tapes
1 vhs tape - Professional Gun
1 ceramic heart that says "Connceted by Love, Guided by Faith"
2 watches
1 football helmet
1 dirty diaper
1  metal frame for stairway
1 air compressor
1 rubber canteen
1 softball owned by Gary Babetz
1 wooden table top
2 brass piano parts
1 coconut
1 water ski
1 tiny painting
1 ammo case from KC Waters.org
1 styrofoam strawberry
1 serrated knife
1 Printer with Ink Cartridges strewn about
1 seed spreader
1 piece of a culvert
1 blue six sided die
2 railroad spikes
1 piece of an alien airship
1 old fm receiver
1 couch
2 couch frames
3 barge lines
1 fire extinquisher
1 top of a safe
1 - 1957 fiberglass Saber boat
1 buoy
1 metal trash can
1 pulley
1 chicken wire
1 tiny saw blade
1 lateral drain tile
1 wall to a Porta-Potti
2 PVC pipes
1 white picket fence
1 bookshelf
1 Iron Fence Pole
1 Molded Child’s Headboard (faux oak)
1 Plastic Horseshoe (red, life size)
1 dog kennel top
1 big plastic bowl for Clifford
1 men’s cologne box
1 newspaper mailbox
1 plastic shovel
1 swim pad
1 Serrated Hand Saw Blade
1 Wooden Cross with Memorial Nameplate (James Wynn, 10-16-49 to 6-8-97)
1 Metal Camping Dish with Cover
1 Air Horn Can (corroded)
1 Reflector
1 Decorator Icing Kit
1 Reflective KU Business Cup
1 Love Cologne Mist
1 Window with Metal Grate
2 tents
1 tent pole
2 Plastic Culvert Pipes (12-feet long 3-feet diameter)
1 Red Nun Buoy tied up at the USCG storage facility
1 Metal Sculpted Flower
1 Marble Cheese Plate
1 Giant Candle Shaped & Painted like a Strawberry
1 full can of Hairspray (volumizing)
1 French Press
1 Coffee Maker (20 cup)
1 Coffee Cup
1 3 Drawer Filing Cabinet
1 25 lb Barbell Weight
1 laptop case
1 Ear Plugs on a Rope
1 double sheet set
1 laughing gas mask
1 ice scraper
1 shopping cart
1 stainless steel kitche trash can
1 16” Ice Skate
2 Cobbler’s Shoes
3 plastic hair combs
2 hats
1 ruler from Sutherland Lumber Company of St. Joseph
1 wooden spool
1 decorative popcorn tin filled with trash
1 Swiss army knife
1 electric guitar
1 Crockpot Innards
1 Dish Drainer
1 Fork (stainless steel)
1 Dice
1 Metal  Loveseat (very nice)
1 Toothbrush (orange)
1 Army Canteen (dirty green)
1 Playing Card (2 of spades)
1 Moss Covered Tennis Shoe (Winner-Most Fashionable Trash)
1 Padded Bra (pink)
1 Nike Head Band
3 drink thermos'
1 Garden Watering Wand
3 Gardening Tools
1 Cat Carrier
1 Flood Light
1 Swiffer Mop handle
3 Feed Buckets
1 Washer Spin Drum
1 Compressor
1 Burner
2 Radio Vacuum Tubes
1 Toilet Float
1 Country Mailbox on Post
1 Wench Ratchet Strap
6 Curtain Rods
1 piece of a balloon from “Nebraska Environmental Association”
1 bottle of Aspirin
1 American Flag (on wooden pole)
1 Glow Stick (yellow)
4 refrigerator drawers
3 fridge doors
1 refrigerator defroster
2 cooler lids
1 Plastic Lawn Chair Seat
1 water jug
1 smashed up buoy
1 Metal Drum Lid (rusted)
1 55-Gallon Plastic Barrel Lid
1 Ring Clamp for 55-Gallon Metal Barrel
1 pair of safety glasses
1/2 of a chainsaw case
1 set of wheels to a stroller
1 giant tarp
1 Full Can of Beer (unopened, unreported brand)
1 full Pabst Blue Ribbon pull tab
1 large Beer Keg
1 box of wine, 8 oz, chardonnay (unopened new package)
1 upholstered chair cushion
1 kneeling pad
1 Back Rest Cushion (with arms)
4 orange floating booms
5 drain tile pieces
40 ft. of hose

Too Many to Count:
"single-use" plastic bottles, styrofoam cups & clamshells
misc. shoes & flip flops
1 swirling gyre full of stryofoam & plastic - now known as the kasnsas city "Trash Trap"
a million single-use plastic bottles
a gazillion balls to include 1 gold bowling ball
a ton of 6 pack rings, plastic wrappers, plastic eating utensils, plastic straws, 5-hour energy drink bottles, disposable lighters and chewing tobacco cans.
dozens of antique glass bottles


Marine Rubbish
2 fishing lures
4 fishing poles
2 wads o fishing line
8 bobbers
1 electric bilge pump
1 motor mount bracket
1 Boat Bumper
1 wire fish catch box
1 boat dock with 4 barrels
1 boat bow
1 minnow trap
1 Leinenkugel's beer bobber

Chemicals
1 jug of hydraulic oil
1 full Jug of Atrazine
1 5-gal. can with flammable liquid
abondoned ammonia tank (part of meth lab)
3 chemical jugs


Signs
1 Big Muddy Refuge Sign
2 Conservation Signs
1 directional road sign on post


Automobile Parts
2 Strips Car Trim
1 Velour Car Seat
1 Truck Windshield Wiper Base
1 Missouri License Plate (2010, ME VERA)
1 Car Bumper
1 Miniature Mack Truck Cab (metal, pink and blue)
1 plastic car part
1 Car Hood (midsize compact)
1 Exhaust Pipe
1 Truck Seat
1 600 lb Automotive Transformer
1 Car Jack
1 car door
1 oil pan
5 gas tanks
1 gas can
1 gas funnel


Construction Dumping
300 lbs Wet Ceiling Tile
15’ PVC Pipe
5 pieces of soggy carpet
1 Ceiling Fan Blade
1 large section of mobile home wall
5 corrugated tin strips
1 - 18’ culvert pipe
10 - 3’ pieces asbestos pipe
Nuts and Bolts (too numerous to count)
1 construction helmet
1 Metal Tub
1 Screen Door
2 Wooden Beams (bolted together)
1 window squeegee
1 large nail
1 4x4 Wooden Post
1 iron pipe rebar
1 trailer load of vinyl siding
2 broom handles
2 orange cones
15’ PVC Pipe
6 roof shingles
5 plank boards
1 pipe insulation cover
3 fence posts
1 12 ft. pipe
1 strip of culvert pipe
20' of barbed wire
14' of plastic covered cable wire
4 Sheets Plywood
5 Wooden 2’ x 4’s
4 Wooden 4’ x 6’s
1 Wooden Palette
2 Iron T Poles
23 Pieces Scrap Metal
110’ Steel Reinforced Conduit
12’ Steel Cable
15’ Farm Fence Wire (rusted)
14’ Steel Pipe
20’ PVC Pipe
20’ Iron Gas Pipe
61’  Plastic Pipe
2’ Ceramic Pipe
150 lbs Coated Copper Cable Wire
1 double kitchen sink still attached to the counter
1 Furnace Blower Pipe


Child's Toys
4 baby dolls (one headless, 2 armless)
4 baby doll heads
1 “Hello Kitty” Love Seat
2 plastic toy dogs
2 Rubber Duckies
1 plastic whale
1 Pair Angel Wings
2 baby rattles
1 Crocheted Baby Doll Dress
1 “Chicken Dance” Elmo Doll
1 Marshmallow Head
1 Child’s Snow Sled
1 Plastic Container “Fun Dough”
1 Miniature Plastic Hay Bale
1 Child’s Tractor (perfect condition)
1 Child’s Jeep (axle and wheels only)
1 Child’s 4-Wheeler
1/2 of a Skate Board
1 Plastic Zebra
1 Teddy Bear (dressed for town)
1 Plastic Water Gun
1 Nerf Dart
1 plastic apple
1 Baby Pacifier (shades of pink)
1 Child’s Slide
1 container of bubbles
1 Bubble Wand
1 plastic toy camera
1 foam letter "p or d"
1 torpedo (plastic)
2 green army guys
1 plush "newborn chimp"
1 Plastic Mustache (glow-in-the-dark)
1 Plastic Knife (looks real)
5 Markers
1 Plastic Mustache (glow-in-the-dark)
1 red Air Hockey piece
1 purple McDonald’s Toy
1 plastic Fire Extinguisher Toy
1 green plastic Sand Box Turtle Lid
1 plush "newborn chimp"
1 kids scooter
1 plastic apple
1 toy fire truck
1 plastic checker
1 plastic rabbit
1 plastic duck on wheels
1 easter egg
1 plastic penquin
1 wooden flower & bird
1 pink panther print on foam
1 kiddie push cart
1 kids plastic table
1 leather baby sandal
1 alphabet block (yellow)
1 studded football massage ball
1 pair of purple vampire teeth
1 yellow piggy bank
1 Plastic Happy Face Animal
1 plastic sand castle mold
1 baby bear rattle - 1984 Mattel Inc.
1 Plastic Dragonfly
1 toddlers toy car you ride on
1 sit & spin
1 railroad track section

Natural but noted:
1 Gar Skeleton
6 small animal skulls
1 gourd
1 hemp plant
1 terrarium in a glass bottle
1 shelf fungus
1 fishhead
2  Weird Bones
5 whole pumpkins (ready to carve)
1 Snapping Turtle Shell
1 Small Jaw Bone (species unknown)
1 dead american coot (headless)
1 hawk skeleton
1 turkey feather
several turtle shells
1 dead snake with plastic netting wrapped around it

 

photo by Brian Waldrop

Vampire teeth, a vintage boat, and messages in a bottle: America’s cultural indicators?

Intro by Tina Casagrand first published in the Missouri Stream Team blog celebrating 25 years this year.


Did you know that New York City’s municipal landfill has an anthropologist-in-residence? She looks at what the people of the city throw away, the history of sanitation workers, and lots of other fascinating things. That got me thinking . . .  maybe a similar task could be taken for the spot where North America’s largest waterways meet. What could cleanup hauls at the Missouri-Mississippi Confluence tell us about litter habits in the eastern and western parts of our country?

Missouri River Relief (Stream Team #1875) has a head start on this research. They’ve tallied trash from their clean-ups for years. April 26th’s Earth Day at the Confluence continued to surprise volunteers and crew alike with a wealth of trash and treasure.

Here are some details on MRR’s work out of Columbia Bottom Conservation Area on April 26. Mull over these cultural indicators, and if you know of any anthropologists looking for a project, tell them to give MSTWC a call!

Earth Day at the Confluence *Results*

Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

Missouri River Clean-up 4-26-14

Volunteers:  178

MRR Crew:  31

Boats:  10 (2 USACE, 3 MDC, 1 Hanson P.S., 4 MRR)

Rivermiles:  9 ( 8 miles of the Missouri, 1 mile of the Mississippi)

River Level:  10 ft (St. Charles gage) 14.8 ft. (on the Mississippi at St. Louis)

Tires:  30 (an estimated .5 tons)

Landfill:  2.8 tons

Scrap Metal:   1.35 tons

Total Tonnage:  4.7 tons

Agencies & Groups:  Missouri River Relief Crew, Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hanson Professional Services, Cub Scout Pack 97, Cadette Girl Scout Troop #435, Baden Powell Service Association 66^th Confluence Scout Group, Anderson Pest Solutions, BioMerieux, Alpha Phi Omega– Washington University, Ethical Navigators 33, Flying Carps, Bank of America, St. Louis University, Boeing, Arnold Stream Team 211, Stream Team 3454 Anglers of Missouri, Saving the World Before Noon, Miramiguoa Master Naturalist, Weber Group, Kabul Waterdogs – Stream Team 3419, Stream Team 4855, Pack 3097, Stream Team River Rovers #4473,

Team Names:  Flying Carp, X-Stream Team, Pack 97, Navigators, A-Team, Super Flying Ninja Kittens, Asian Carp Avengers, Anderson, River Dogs, Otters, Mo Mud Hens, Timberwolves, The Bass Fisherman, 66^th Confluence Team, Hardcore Team Tough Guy, The Collaborators, River Rebels, Team Smokinbarrel

Event Sponsors

• Missouri American Water
• Great Rivers Greenway
• Missouri Dept. of Conservation
• Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Columbia Ecological Services Field Office
• Rivermiles
• Walmart
• Bass Pro Shops
• Pat Jones
• Tom and Anne Smith

Event Partners

• Bandana's BBQ
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Missouri Stream Team (Celebrating its 25th Anniversary!)
• Bridgestone/Firestone - One Team, One Planet
• ACE Scrap Metal
• Columbia Bottom Conservation Area
• Metropolitan Sewer District
• Hanson Professional Services

Plus great tunes by Eddie Buchanan & Co.!

Trash Tally!

201 bags of trash

30 tires

11 chunks o’ Styrofoam

4 coolers

11  5-gal. plastic buckets

1  20-gal. plastic tub
12  55-gal. plastic barrels

2  55-gal. metal drums

4 partial metal drums

1 water heater

1 propane tank

1 AC unit piece

1 600 lb Automotive Transformer

1 boxspring

1 chair

2 barge lines

1 buoy

1 car seat cushion

4 gas tanks
1 rim

2 inner tubes

1 - 1957 fiberglass Saber boat

1 oil pan

1 metal trash can

1 pulley

5 metal poles

10 ft. of 2” angle iron

5 ft. of corrugated metal

1 – 6ft. metal pole

8 pieces of metal cable

2 metal locker doors

1 tiny saw blade

1 tv

1 lateral drain tile

2 orange booms
1 chicken wire

1 Rubbermaid tote

1 Rubbermaid lid

1 wall to a Porta-Potti

2 PVC pipes

1 white picket fence

1 bookshelf
A gazillion million balls

1 softball owned by Gary Babetz

1 kiddie push cart

1 rubber canteen

2 milk crates

1 fishing pole

1 dog kennel top

2 pieces of wood with nails

1 big plastic bowl for Clifford

Trash Contest!!! (winners in bold)

1 yellow piggy bank

1 dead snake dead from plastic netting wrapped around it

1 dead gar

1 studded football massage ball

2 armless baby dolls

1 pair of purple vampire teeth

2 doll heads

16 balls

1 coconut

1 water ski

1 plastic checker

1 plastic rabbit

1 plastic duck on wheels

1 easter egg

3 duck decoys

1 plastic penquin

1 wooden flower & bird

1 pink panther print on foam

1 black flip flop

1 men’s cologne box

1 igloo cooler

1 newspaper mailbox

1 plastic shovel

1 swim pad

1 light bulb

1 kids plastic table

1 plastic cone

1 window squeegee

1 large nail

1 hat

1 bucket

1 fishing lure

1 toy fire truck

1 cassette tape

1 turtle shell

1 construction helmet

Several old glass bottles

1 9mm handgun

1 message in a bottle with several letters inside