Season Ends for SOLVE’s Inland Waterway Cleanups

Inland rivers and streams across Oregon recently received a major effort in trash collection and environmental stewardship, as SOLVE wrapped up its inland waterway cleanup series for the season. These community cleanup efforts, which concluded in September 2026, involved hundreds of volunteers removing litter from various locations beyond the state’s coastline.

High Rocks Park Cleanup Leads Final Events

One of the season’s final river litter removal events took place at the High Rocks Park area in Gladstone. Here, 27 volunteers participated in the clackamas river cleanup, gathering an estimated 750 pounds of litter from the Clackamas River. This event was part of the ninth annual Waterway Cleanup Series, a collaborative initiative between SOLVE and Clackamas Water Environment Services.

Statewide Efforts and Unusual Finds

The cleanup campaign spanned many regions, with significant efforts in southern Oregon, including Medford, Talent, and Phoenix. Notably, these cleanups often yielded wacky and unexpected items, as reported by SOLVE's Stefanie Wich-Herrlein. For example, the Johnson Creek Cleanup resulted in the removal of 28 tires, 5 shopping carts, 3 suitcases, a bicycle, 2 metal chairs, a pallet, and roughly 100 feet of hose, along with sleeping bags, blankets, and rugs.

Other sites produced their own unique discoveries. Milwaukie's Kellogg Creek Cleanup, hosted by North Clackamas Watersheds Council, removed 14 shopping carts. A Salmon River paddle and cleanup hauled out a large number of tires, while at High Rocks Park, yet another bicycle was among the items found.

From Coast to Inland: A Tradition of Oddities

According to SOLVE, inland cleanups share the tradition of odd finds with their coastal counterparts. Over the years, Oregon Coast Beach Connection has chronicled coastline cleanup oddities, from kitchen sinks to most of a rusted car. While the inland cleanups may not always reach those levels of eccentricity, they remain significant for the volume and varied nature of the litter removed.

Impact: Thousands of Pounds of Litter and More

The collaborative waterway cleanup campaign made considerable impacts across Oregon. From May through September 2026, 64 separate cleanups were held in 10 counties. These events attracted over 1,400 volunteers who collectively removed more than 24,000 pounds of litter from the state’s rivers and streams. In addition to trash collection in Oregon’s inland areas, participants engaged in invasive plant removal and mulched thousands of native plantings, further enhancing the ecological benefit of the cleanup series.

Community and Environmental Stewardship

SOLVE’s inland waterway cleanups highlight the importance of volunteer cleanup and community engagement in maintaining Oregon’s natural environments. Through a combination of river litter removal, invasive plant management, and native plant mulching, these efforts contribute to healthier water systems and local ecosystems.

Source: beachconnection.net.