Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Volunteers of this year's annual Source to Sea Cleanup picked up a lot more trash than usual along the Connecticut River basin, following a summer of limited activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In consideration of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) expanded the two-day event to last the entire month of September.
Throughout the month, volunteers were encouraged to participate around the Connecticut River valley, which covers land in central Connecticut, western Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, in a do-it-yourself fashion.
"So, folks could get together just in their families or in small groups outdoors, distanced, with masks and kind of do it that way. Cleaning up their own local neighborhood rather than all getting together for one bigger cleanup throughout the watershed, " Connecticut River Steward Kelsey Wentling said.
Though the total number of participants were still being tallied as of Thursday, Wentling said several hundred volunteers participated across the four-state river basin. However, it's anticipated the number may be a bit lower than previous years, she said.
According to CRC Cleanup coordinators, the pandemic brought a new set of challenges to the cleanup.
Alongside the typical trash seen every year, Wentling said volunteers saw new objects being added to the waste such as face masks, disinfectant wipes and gloves.
Wentling also noticed regular trash such as beer cans, alcohol nips, plastic bottles and diapers were getting tossed out along the rivers more easily due to limited activities as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.
"Folks really got outside and that included heading to the Connecticut River, tributaries to the river, and different lakes. While we're so glad that so many people were able to connect with the outdoors in that way, it did lead to an increase in trash." Wentling said.
As of Thursday, the total weight of collected trash was still being calculated, according to Wentling.
With a month-long, socially-distant event this year, the Source to Sea Cleanup took on a virtual approach to stay connected.
The CRC hosted an online campaign called #RiverWitness to engage the community.
"Even though we weren't together in person in the way we usually are or even on that scale, I saw dozens of different groups' photos and videos. That was really heartwarming in that we got to still feel that sense of collaborative effort and community," Wentling said.
As for recording trash collection data, Wentling said participants were encouraged to use the CleanSwell app. Though the event is over, people are still encouraged to use the ongoing hashtag and to continue recording the trash they've collected, Wentling said.
With the increase of trash pollution, Wentling urges state leaders and manufacturers to work on improving laws and policies that will better recycling and waste reduction across Connecticut.
"We don't even want to have this event anymore," Wentling said, "because ideally, there's no trash to clean up. The way to get there is to reduce the amount of things that we're buying that end up in the trash or the recycling, because not that much actually gets recycled in the end, and to advocate for a waste management overhaul at the state level."