On a single day every May, thousands of people come to their local Hudson River shorelines to clean up trash, plant trees and grasses and maintain waterfront parks up and down the Hudson Valley as part of the Riverkeeper Sweep. This year’s Sweep is May 4, and Riverkeeper is again looking for volunteers to join cleanup teams in more than 100 locations, from Brooklyn to the Adirondacks.

Now in its eighth year, the Riverkeeper Sweep is the largest cleanup in the history of the Hudson River. Last year, more than 2,300 volunteers came together at 120 project sites, removing more than 38 tons of trash, 7,000 pounds of recycling and 192 tires, all in one day. Since the first Sweep in 2012, volunteers have removed more than 227 tons of debris.

Trash enters the Hudson River and its tributaries from a variety of sources, including storm water, illegal dumping and direct littering into the river. Much of it washes up on the shoreline, harming wildlife, threatening public health and affecting the economic vitality of Hudson River communities. Riverkeeper educates and activates Hudson Valley and New York City residents to take ownership of their waterways and protect them through cleanups and habitat restoration.

Volunteers at this year’s Riverkeeper Sweep will receive information and opportunities to advocate on issues such as banning plastic bags and straws in New York State.

For more information and to sign up to volunteer, email Riverkeeper Outreach Coordinator Jen Benson at [email protected] or visit Riverkeeper.org/sweep.