Pack It Out Utah Statewide Trails & Waterways Cleanup
Thank you for joining Utah's fourth annual statewide trails and waterways cleanup! Stay tuned to check out the results from this year, as well as the first three statewide cleanups here.
Utah’s public lands are experiencing a surge in outdoor recreation each year. While more people enjoying the great outdoors is inspiring, unfortunately, it has led to an increase in garbage ending up on trails, parks, neighborhoods, and eventually, in our waterways. Local governments and nonprofits across Utah are partnering to host a statewide cleanup event to remove garbage from public lands and help improve our waterways. The idea is to encourage people across the state to take initiative and act as stewards of our watersheds and public lands.
By collecting trash, participants will help improve water quality and the health of the surrounding ecosystems.
When: September 2024
Where: Utah - Statewide
There are two ways to get involved in this year’s statewide clean-up event.
1. Join a local cleanup near you! Check out the lists below to find and join an organized cleanup event being held by one of our partners. These events are part of the statewide Pack It Out Utah cleanup happening from September 9-17. All trash collected and submissions from these events will count toward the statewide total for Pack It Out Utah.
Pack It Out and Pizza at the Park hosted by USU Water Quality Extension & Utah Water Watch
Where: Willow Park (450 West 700 South Logan, UT 84321)
When: Saturday, September 16, 2023 from 9AM - 12PM
Cleanup Supplies and Pizza provided, while supplies last!
International Coastal Cleanup hosted by Friends of the Great Salt Lake
Where: Meet at Bountiful Pond or Legacy Nature Preserve
When: Saturday, September 16th, 2023 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-coastal-cleanup-2023-tickets-640891703337
International Coastal Cleanup hosted by Friends of the Great Salt Lake
Where: Meet at Great Salt Lake State Park
When: Saturday, September 16th, 2023 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-coastal-cleanup-2023-tickets-640891703337
Pack It Out hosted by Tracy Aviary
Where: Jordan River Nature Center (1125 W 3300 S, South Salt Lake, UT 84119)
When: Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 5:30 pm
For questions: kyleee@tracyaviary.org
Come help Tracy Aviary staff and community members clean up the trail along the Jordan River Parkway. This trail borders the Jordan River, one of the main arteries to the Great Salt Lake. While you help us pack out the trash, our educators will be on hand to point out any exciting wildlife we see and to answer any questions you have about the expanding nature center site.
2. If you cannot attend a local event, you can also collect trash in your neighborhood or at a local park, trail, or waterway. No matter where you live, you are in a watershed. Everything we do in a watershed affects the water quality, so anywhere trash is collected will have a positive impact on water quality and your local environment.
How to Get Involved
- Choose an event near you or a location to clean up trash.
- Cleanup trash and determine the total weight of trash removed (you can record what you collect using our datasheet).
- Dispose of trash.
- Submit your data using our submission form!
Tracking Trash Clean Up & Submitting Data
Download and print out our Trash Collection Data Sheet to record the trash you clean up.
- While you clean up trash, fill in the data sheet.
- When you're done, use a scale or your best estimate to record the total weight of the trash you collected.
- Dispose of the trash you collected properly in an appropriate container or at a waste disposal site. When possible, remember to recycle.
- Submit your total trash collected through one of the options below. Share your results and encourage others to participate!
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Fill out our submission form online.
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Scan or take a photo of your completed data sheet and send it to waterquality@usu.edu.
*You can submit your total final weight of trash collected and do not have to track each piece of trash separately. Our data sheet offers the option of tracking each piece of trash to help volunteers estimate the total weight if they do not have access to a scale. You may also participate in a group and send in the total weight of trash collected as a group.
*If you participate in a local clean-up event, use the event organizer's preferred tracking method. They will either have you submit your total trash collected through our submission form or submit it to them. If you submit to the event organizers, they will submit the total trash collected for the event as a whole to us at the end.
Share Your Results & Get Others to Join!
Take photos and video of your trash collection progress, then send them to us! We will share them throughout the event on our social media platforms.
You can send us photos three ways:
- Upload them along with your trash collection totals on our submission form.
- Email them to us at waterquality@usu.edu.
- Share them on social media! See how below.
Share your cleanup progress and success on social media to encourage others to take initiative and act as stewards of our watersheds and public lands.
Use #PackItOutUtah and #PackItOutUtah2024 on social media to to help us track how much trash is collected statewide and which areas of the state have been cleaned up. Make sure to tag us using @usuwaterqualityextension on Facebook and @utahwaterwatch on Instagram. We will be sharing your cleanup efforts on our platforms throughout the event!
Here are some ways you can share your results on social:
- Share before and after photos of your cleanup site.
- Share a selfie or photos of your cleanup progress.
- Film a short video at your trash collection site explaining why it’s important to keep our waterways clean and share. You can also create an IG Reel and tag us, or TikTok and send it to us!
Trash Disposal
Collecting trash is only part of the work. Disposing the trash properly is just as important! When possible, remember to recycle.
There are two ways to dispose of trash:
- Throw the trash away in your at-home garbage can.
- When possible, sort out any recyclable items and throw them into a recycling bin before disposing of trash.
- Find a local garbage/waste disposal facility.
- If you are taking the trash to a local facility, make sure to research and/or contact the facility first to be sure you can bring and dispose of the trash at that location.
Safety Considerations:
- Be prepared for working in an outside environment. Wear layers and bring sunscreen, water, and hand sanitizer.
- Wear gloves or use a tool like a shovel or grabber while picking up trash.
- Wash your hands thoroughly when done.
- Do not pick up any items that may be dangerous (broken glass, rusty metal, needles, medications, etc.).
- Be careful and aware of your surrounds when picking up trash near roads and waterways. Potential hazards to look out for include poisonous plants, fishing line and hooks, animals holes, tripping hazards, barbed wire, and sharp items such as glass or needles.
- Respect living things and private property boundaries while collecting trash. Do not throw away others' possessions, including items considered the possession of transients or located in homeless encampments
Thank You to Our Partners!
This event is made possible thanks to the support of many amazing partner organizations statewide. A huge thank you to all our partners! This would not be possible without you! We're continuously adding partners. Please reach out if you'd like to join our efforts.