A group of volunteers stand proudly with one of the many piles of trash they collected on Kentucky Lake in a bay that was affected by tornados and flooding over the last few years. Their efforts resulted in two very full trash boats that totaled at 6,806 lbs. of trash collected.

Volunteers prepare to head out after filling a trash boat carrying a total of 3,230 lbs. of trash collected at the cleanup held on Pickwick Lake.

The Tennessee River system has 23,229 lbs. of trash less in it thanks to 115 volunteers and dozens of partners who stepped up for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s 4th annual ‘Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO.’ The series was held in four states during March and April.

“At one point, our boats were in the waters of four states in less than 24 hours, so this series really showcases how—regardless of state or county lines—we’re all impacted by our river and everything in it,” said Kathleen Gibi, Executive Director for Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB). “The encouraging part is that we’re seeing a true difference that our volunteers have made over the years as we’re having to work harder to find litter in areas where we’ve held previous cleanups.”

Phillip Toon, a regular volunteer with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, helps the crew from Living Lands & Waters load up the trash onto KTNRB's boat on Kentucky Lake.

Throughout the series, volunteers rode on KTNRB’s two 26-foot work boats and three 30-foot work boats brought in by the national nonprofit Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) to go clean shorelines. Gibi said LL&W’s assistance bolstered the efforts to maximize the cleanups’ results:

Volunteers filled up three boats on Cherokee Lake in the 3rd stint of the Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO. Here, volunteers have loaded into a boat with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful Executive Director Kathleen Gibi as boat captain.

2023 Tennessee River Grand Slam Cleanup Series Results

· March 10 Iuka, Miss/Waterloo, Ala./Counce, Tenn. @ Pickwick Lake | 3,230 lbs. removed
by 17 volunteers

· March 11 Murray, Ky./Buchanan, Tenn. @ Kentucky Lake | 6,806 lbs. removed
by 18 volunteers

· April 1 Bean Station, Tenn. @ Cherokee Lake | 9,219 lbs. removed by 63 volunteers

· April 2 Jasper, Tenn. @ Nickajack Lake | 3,974 lbs. removed by 17 volunteers

SERIES TOTAL: 23,229 lbs. removed

As impressive as these statistics are, Gibi said weather actually kept the numbers from being even higher. On Cherokee Lake, 67 volunteers made a massive dent in riverside litter, removing over 9,000 lbs. of trash, but the cleanup was cut short after only 1.5 hours due to extreme winds. On the other hand, Gibi said they had to travel further and had less litter to collect on Pickwick Lake after hosting multiple cleanups in the area over the last few years.

Though the cleanup on Cherokee Lake was ended after only 1.5 hours due to high winds, volunteers managed to collect 9,219 lbs. of trash. That total included 282 bags of trash, 89 tires, 3 semi tires, an ATV, and much more.

“AFTCO is proud to be able to make a positive impact on the Tennessee River with the help of 100+ amazing volunteers and partners to keep the momentum going with the remainder of the Grand Slam Cleanup Series,” said Casey Shedd, President at AFTCO.

Some of the volunteers from the Nickajack Lake cleanup, the last of the Grand Slam Cleanup Series presented by AFTCO, pose with one of the two trash boats that were completely filled, resulting in 3,794 lbs. of trash removed.

The cleanup series was also made possible by funding from Tennessee Valley Authority and TDOT’s ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ litter prevention campaign. It also took place during Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup©. Through this far-reaching annual effort, Keep America Beautiful local affiliates host cleanups in more than 20,000 communities, engaging over five million volunteers during the months of March and April.

To see a full list of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful’s upcoming cleanup schedule, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups. To see AFTCO’s web site, please visit www.aftco.com.