The eighth annual DuPage River Sweep netted 8 tons of trash from DuPage County streams, according to statistics recently released by the Conservation Foundation, a sponsor of the annual event.
More than 450 volunteers participated in the June 6 cleanup of Salt Creek and the East and West Branches of the DuPage River. The river continues to yield less trash each year, as the public becomes more aware of the importance of protecting area waterways..
A June 1997 river cleanup turned up more than 15 tons of debris, down from the 22 tons of trash taken out of area waterways during the 1996 River Sweep.
Nearly 110 tons of trash have been removed from the DuPage River and Salt Creek since the cleanup was launched in 1991, according to Conservation Foundation figures.