MI CUORB
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About US
Who We Are…
We are MIchigan CUORB, an acronym for Clean Up Our River Banks. Founded by Joshua Radhs, who was tired of seeing litter along the river banks, and decided instead of complaining, he would do something about it.
What We Do…
Litter is waste or refuse that is not disposed of properly in a trash can. Once it’s in the can, it becomes garbage. Anywhere else, it’s just litter, and we don’t need it in our rivers.
We’ve collected fast food cups, cellophane, food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic bags, boxes, car parts, dirty diapers, bottles – both plastic & glass, cans, styrofoam, scrap metal, paint cans, barrels, propane tanks, discarded clothing, shoes, mailboxes, tires, aluminum siding, folding chairs, actual trash bins, and even a sofa discarded along the river banks right here in St Clair County.
In just under two months MIchigan CUORB has removed over 70 tires, properly disposed of over a dozen other large items, and filled 90 contractor size garbage bags (which hold 30 to 45 gallons of trash) of litter from our local ponds, rivers, riverbanks, and adjacent roadways, and we are nowhere near done yet. There are still miles of river banks we have yet to cover. We host weekly clean ups on the river banks throughout the county. We helped the City of Port Huron clean up after Boat Night, and we will have a crew out helping minimize the litter in the St Clair River at Float Down, and we plan on expanding statewide.
Why it’s Important…
We have to stop the pollution. A significant portion of water pollution comes from litter and illegal dumping. It is not only unsightly, but it harms our environment. When things like plastic, cigarette butts, and food wrappers are thrown on the ground, they get blown into our rivers, or washed into storm drains and directly into our waterways. It may not always be intended, and one piece of litter may not seem like much, but if all 160,000+ residents of St Clair County discard one piece of litter in the course of a day, it builds to unacceptable levels.
We have to protect our wildlife. Plastics can be especially hazardous to wildlife. Depending on their form they can either be ingested, causing internal organ failure, or they can cause a slow strangulation for aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles, and birds, litter also decreases oxygen levels in the water when it decays, and cigarette butts contain toxic chemicals that damage water quality. (epa.gov)
Someone has to be responsible. Despite increased environmental awareness, some people still use our river banks as a repository for unwanted trash. Even with regulations that define pollution, and laws that penalize littering and illegal dumping, many government agencies do not have the money, manpower or other resources to ensure our rivers stay clean. It is up to us as private citizens to do so. These are the areas we live, work, and play in, and it is up to us to make sure our next generations can enjoy the rivers too.
Our Goals…
Research shows that litter begets litter. We are working hard to clean all of the designated rivers that watershed in St Clair County, including Mill Creek, Black River, Pine River, Belle River, and numerous other creeks and drains. We plan to continue to monitor these areas on an ongoing basis.
We are currently working to clean up Hewitt’s Pit in Jeddo, Michigan which has long been known as an illegal dump site, and is contaminating Black River.
We plan to work with the Department of Natural Resources and the EPA to stop illegal dumping in and around our waterways.
We hope to extend our program Statewide within 5 years
We are using social media to share our anti-littering message and promote responsible recreational use of our rivers.
We intend to work with schools and teachers to stress the importance of not littering in classrooms across the county and the state.
We plan to recycle as much as possible and upcycle discarded items found during our clean ups once we have an adequate facility and staff to do so.
How You Can Help Us Clean Up Our River Banks
MIchigan CUORB’s resources are currently based off donations, both financial contributions and the donations of supplies. Every dime donated goes to help clean and maintain clean our waterways and promote our message “Please RECONSIDER before you LITTER, we don’t need it in our RIVERS.” Every dollar helps us complete our mission of leaving a legacy of clean waters and river banks for our community to enjoy for generations to come.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We need you to promote our mission, and our message! We can’t complete our mission without you! Volunteers are needed to help clean up our river banks, transport items for recycling and disposal, and monitor previously cleaned river banks for any new litter/dumping. Your participation is vital to everything we are doing!
SPONSORS NEEDED!
Thank you for not littering!
We are MIchigan CUORB, an acronym for Clean Up Our River Banks. Founded by Joshua Radhs, who was tired of seeing litter along the river banks, and decided instead of complaining, he would do something about it.
What We Do…
Litter is waste or refuse that is not disposed of properly in a trash can. Once it’s in the can, it becomes garbage. Anywhere else, it’s just litter, and we don’t need it in our rivers.
We’ve collected fast food cups, cellophane, food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic bags, boxes, car parts, dirty diapers, bottles – both plastic & glass, cans, styrofoam, scrap metal, paint cans, barrels, propane tanks, discarded clothing, shoes, mailboxes, tires, aluminum siding, folding chairs, actual trash bins, and even a sofa discarded along the river banks right here in St Clair County.
In just under two months MIchigan CUORB has removed over 70 tires, properly disposed of over a dozen other large items, and filled 90 contractor size garbage bags (which hold 30 to 45 gallons of trash) of litter from our local ponds, rivers, riverbanks, and adjacent roadways, and we are nowhere near done yet. There are still miles of river banks we have yet to cover. We host weekly clean ups on the river banks throughout the county. We helped the City of Port Huron clean up after Boat Night, and we will have a crew out helping minimize the litter in the St Clair River at Float Down, and we plan on expanding statewide.
Why it’s Important…
We have to stop the pollution. A significant portion of water pollution comes from litter and illegal dumping. It is not only unsightly, but it harms our environment. When things like plastic, cigarette butts, and food wrappers are thrown on the ground, they get blown into our rivers, or washed into storm drains and directly into our waterways. It may not always be intended, and one piece of litter may not seem like much, but if all 160,000+ residents of St Clair County discard one piece of litter in the course of a day, it builds to unacceptable levels.
We have to protect our wildlife. Plastics can be especially hazardous to wildlife. Depending on their form they can either be ingested, causing internal organ failure, or they can cause a slow strangulation for aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles, and birds, litter also decreases oxygen levels in the water when it decays, and cigarette butts contain toxic chemicals that damage water quality. (epa.gov)
Someone has to be responsible. Despite increased environmental awareness, some people still use our river banks as a repository for unwanted trash. Even with regulations that define pollution, and laws that penalize littering and illegal dumping, many government agencies do not have the money, manpower or other resources to ensure our rivers stay clean. It is up to us as private citizens to do so. These are the areas we live, work, and play in, and it is up to us to make sure our next generations can enjoy the rivers too.
Our Goals…
Research shows that litter begets litter. We are working hard to clean all of the designated rivers that watershed in St Clair County, including Mill Creek, Black River, Pine River, Belle River, and numerous other creeks and drains. We plan to continue to monitor these areas on an ongoing basis.
We are currently working to clean up Hewitt’s Pit in Jeddo, Michigan which has long been known as an illegal dump site, and is contaminating Black River.
We plan to work with the Department of Natural Resources and the EPA to stop illegal dumping in and around our waterways.
We hope to extend our program Statewide within 5 years
We are using social media to share our anti-littering message and promote responsible recreational use of our rivers.
We intend to work with schools and teachers to stress the importance of not littering in classrooms across the county and the state.
We plan to recycle as much as possible and upcycle discarded items found during our clean ups once we have an adequate facility and staff to do so.
How You Can Help Us Clean Up Our River Banks
MIchigan CUORB’s resources are currently based off donations, both financial contributions and the donations of supplies. Every dime donated goes to help clean and maintain clean our waterways and promote our message “Please RECONSIDER before you LITTER, we don’t need it in our RIVERS.” Every dollar helps us complete our mission of leaving a legacy of clean waters and river banks for our community to enjoy for generations to come.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We need you to promote our mission, and our message! We can’t complete our mission without you! Volunteers are needed to help clean up our river banks, transport items for recycling and disposal, and monitor previously cleaned river banks for any new litter/dumping. Your participation is vital to everything we are doing!
SPONSORS NEEDED!
- T-Shirts/Banners - Please help us promote community awareness and provide identification of volunteers by sponsoring our T-Shirts and/or banners.
- Food/ Bottled water - We have hungry and thirsty volunteers that are generously giving their time and effort to clean up our community. Donations of any kind for our volunteer work crews would be much appreciated.
- Equipment- Contractor bags, grabbers, cut resistant gloves, waders, shovels, kayaks, comealong, rope, straps, chains, 5 gallon buckets, wheel barrow, small trailer
Thank you for not littering!