Tuesday, September 2, 2008 — The North Carolina Big Sweep is coming up fast and Stanly County’s Big Sweep Coordinator Brandy Belville continues to recruit more helpers to assist with the state-wide cleanup on Oct. 4.
Last year saw 91 volunteers clean seven sites and cover 15 miles in the county. Ten tires were collected, two white goods, 167 bags of trash and 2,543 pounds of garbage.
One entanglement involving a catfish was found as well as unusual finds such as underwear, lawn chairs, toilet paper, large pieces of metal, a propane tank, a crib and fishing line.
“I was pleasantly surprised that several groups had formed and were interested in participating,” Belville said.
She received a special achievement award for community involvement on behalf of Stanly County. She said credit went to all the volunteers and groups that showed up on the big day last year.
Belville said she wants Stanly County to break 100 volunteers in 2008 and expand coverage outside of areas in and around Albemarle.
Gloves, trash bags and free T-shirts will be provided to all volunteers who wish to help. Volunteers who are unable to contribute on Oct. 4 can utilize other weekends up until the week after the big day and still be included in the statistics for Stanly County.
In North Carolina, 2007 was a record-breaking year, with more than 18,000 volunteers helping out to retrieve 729,650 pounds of debris from waterways, highways, parks and schools among other areas.
Since Big Sweep was founded in 1987, approximately 250,000 volunteers have retrieved almost nine million pounds of debris in North Carolina.
Judy Bolin, North Carolina Big Sweep president, said in 2007, volunteers collected more than 1,600 balloons, almost 900 pieces of fishing line and 450 six-pack ring holders.
“Wildlife are still at risk because harmful litter is out there,” she said.
“That’s why we need volunteers to help in the cleanups.”
Belville also reported a rat’s nest made of cigarette butts was found in the area, which is harmful to animals and their offspring. She also said one of the biggest problems in the county is fishing line and its effect on animals when they get tangled up in such materials.
Those wishing to be a part of the Big Sweep cleanup in Stanly County should contact Brandy Belville at Morrow Mountain State Park for further information at (704) 982-4402.
Sarah Jane Rosser can be contacted at snaponline26@carolina.rr.com.
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