Clean community. Clean water. Big change.

Wake County Big Sweep

March Highlights

Wake County Big Sweep has begun for the spring season; check out these amazing volunteers!

A big shout-out goes to our new Zone Captain, Vini Taguchi, a resident of Fuquay-Varina, who organized and led our first Big Sweep of 2022! Thank you to our partners with the Town of Fuquay-Varina for helping organize this event. Vini and his team of 23 dedicated volunteers in Sonoma Spring graciously donated 3 hours of their Saturday on March 5th to clean up their watershed and community. Over the course of that time, they collected 9 bags of trash, 3 bags of recycling, and several metal construction poles, totaling over 300lbs of litter removed from their zone!

Big Sweep partnered again with with the Town of Fuquay-Varina's Engineering Department to support Zone Captains Osvaldo Linares (student) and Shelby Cole (teacher) for their event on E. Broad St. in Fuquay-Varina. Osvaldo enlisted the help of 15 of his fellow students from Fuquay-Varina High School National Honor Society to clean over 130lbs of litter including more than 300 cigarette butts and over 95 plastic leaves they believe came from a nearby cemetery! They also found a computer modem, car parts, and a Christmas tree stand!

St. David’s Honor Society, led by Philip Boyne, subbing for veteran Zone Captain Molly Bostic, tackled Lassiter Mill Park with 22 student volunteers. They cleaned up 129lbs of litter including a chair, a parking block, and a dog tag with the name “Boone”- thinking about you Boone! St. David’s has been participating in Big Sweep since spring 2017 and are excited to be back in action.

Are you interested in participating in cleanups with kayaks/canoes?

Please choose a response below:

Yes, I have my own watercraft

Yes, but I don't have my own watercraft

A big THANK YOU to all our volunteers!

Volunteers Needed for April!

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All Events

Liability Waiver

Know Before You Go

Before the Event

Choose the event or events you'd like to attend from the Big Sweep website. Make sure you read the entire description. Click the "pre-registration" button beneath the event and fill out all the information required. We use your e-mail to send updates about the event. Big Sweep's liability waiver and any other waiver by our partners such as City of Raleigh should be filled out before the cleanup. Each volunteer should be pre-registered individually.

Please dress for the weather, wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toed shoes. We also recommend volunteers bring drinking water and sun protection.

Events may be cancelled or rescheduled due to severe weather.

After that, you're all set and can begin the count-down until the event!

Waivers

All volunteers must sign a Big Sweep waiver. The waiver is good for 3 years.

**Important** If you are UNDER 18, your parent/legal guardian MUST input their name and e-mail into the DocuSign before signing so that their name is reflected on the signature line and must also appear printed on the “Legal parent/guardian” line. Make sure your "date of birth" is also filled out.

Some zones will also require other waivers to be signed along with ours (e.g. City of Raleigh, Raleigh Stormwater).

At the Event

If this is your first time with Big Sweep, the following is provided at each event:

Gloves
32" Litter Grabbers
Trash Bags
Recycling Bags (Visit Solid Waste Management's website for what can be recycled)
Safety Vests
Trash Disposal & Recycling

Usually events begin by meeting at a central location, signing in and registering if you haven't already pre-registered, and collecting your gear. Zone Captain's will then gather groups to go over the specifics of the event including locations to be cleaned, hazards, and where to return supplies, trash, and recycling.

Safety is our number one concern for all our volunteers! Some things to keep in mind when volunteering:

Dress for the weather and site by wearing clothes that are comfortable and can get dirty
Always wear gloves and close-toed shoes
Be aware of your surroundings- venomous animals and poisonous plants live throughout Wake County where we cleanup
All younger volunteers under 16 should be supervised and accompanied by an adult
Always check for ticks!
Don't pick up anything that seems hazardous and report it to your Zone Captain immediately

Props to Our Partners

Join PEJ

Attention Environmental Stewards!

Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ) is looking for residents in Raleigh to join this steadfast, impactful organization!

Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ) is a group of citizens working to advocate for the human and natural communities in Southeast Raleigh. PEJ formed in the mid-1990s when a group of people from three Episcopal churches in Raleigh gathered to address local issues of environmental justice including flooding, the dumping of trash, and the threat of invasive species in the local ecosystem. The mission of PEJ is to promote understanding and protection of urban wetlands, enhance community pride, and encourage economic development. Since its inception, PEJ has raised over $80,000, partnered with over 20 local community groups, and secured over $1.2 million in future bond money for the City of Raleigh’s first Wetland Educational Park.

PEJ has been conducting cleanups through Big Sweep at the Walnut Creek Wetland Park for over 3 decades and continues today. This is an amazing opportunity to give back to your community and make a difference.

Please visit their website for more information or contact Rev. Don Singletary.

PEJ Website

Above and Beyond

Report a Littered Area

GARNER White Deer Park stream BEFORE may 9 2016.jpg

Do you know of a site or area that is in need of some love? Let us know!

Big Sweep is always looking for new zones. We would like to have a running list of areas throughout Wake County that we can target. This will allow us to send extra groups to these areas as we often get inquiries from businesses, community groups, and the general public looking for sites.

Please e-mail me with the following information:

General address
What kind of litter
How much litter
Additional Details

After receiving your inquiry, I will head to the site to investigate it further and hopefully it will join our many other sites throughout Wake County!

Report a Littered Area

Donate Boots & Buckets

Big Sweep needs your old and out of use boots and buckets! Do you have used but functional rain boots or waders you would like to donate? Do you have 5-gallon buckets? Both of these can be used at Big Sweep events!

These items can be dropped off at the front of the Agricultural Services building located near Historic Oak View County Park. Donations can be placed in or outside of the box labeled "Big Sweep Donations Boots and Buckets". If you need them picked up, please e-mail me.

4001-D Carya Drive

Raleigh, N.C. 27610

Mon - Fri

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Thank you!