iLivehere, with the help of Waste Commission of Scott County staff members, helps to coordinate Xstream Cleanup each August.

This year was the 7th annual Xstream Cleanup, which was held on Saturday, August 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Over 1,200 volunteers gave up their Saturday morning to get dirty and sweaty. That’s hard work!

The hardest work I did on Saturday figuring out how to get photos from 42 different site coordinators downloaded and then uploaded correctly to our public album! Luckily, we worked out all of the bugs. There are hundreds of really cool  photos on our Flickr site so be sure to check those out! You’ll be amazed at what these volunteers dug up!

So, thank you to the volunteers, coordinators and sponsors who made Xstream Cleanup 2010 possible. Without all of you, the following would not have been possible:

• Cleanups at 42 locations in Bettendorf, Davenport and LeClaire, Iowa; Campbell’s Island, Coal Valley, East Moline, Milan, Rock Island and Silvis, Illinois
• 50,573 pounds of debris from area waterways and dump sites
• 1,243 volunteers worked a total of 3,394 hours
• Removed 1,287 bags of trash, 682 tires, 14 appliances, 10 bicycles, 25 pieces of furniture, 13 televisions and 16 mattresses

Plus, cleaned up all of these things:

• Automotive-related items (bumper, muffler, van seats, front of car, rims, engine head, doors, battery, gas cans)
• Home items (carpet, shingles, siding, sink, chandelier, storm door, laundry basket, filing cabinet, air conditioner, six grills, four toilets, clothing, blankets)
• Metal (fence, pipe, sheet metal, iron tubes, tools, 80 lb metal chain)
• Kids’ items (car seat, sled, swing set, slide, inflatable pool, kite, stroller)
• Large items (farm implements, lawn mower, car, part of a camper, two boats, bench grinder, railroad hand cart)
• Electronics (VCRs, TVs, computers)
• Miscellaneous (tiki light, Bettendorf HS sign, fisherman’s basket with fish, traffic light, bowling ball, wheelbarrow, channel buoy, shopping carts, eight barrels, picnic bench, gas station sign, Styrofoam, 5-gallon buckets)

And conducted these beautification efforts:

• Nahant Marsh: removed 33 cubic yards of invasive species
• North High School grounds: pulled 75 invasive trees and shrubs and planted 175 native plants
• West Lake Park: removed one acre of invasive honeysuckle (the equivalent of 150 mature plants).
• Duck Creek at Middle Park in Bettendorf: removed 40 garbage bags of invasive species
• Duck Creek at Fairmount in Davenport: removed three 30-yard dumpsters of woody invasive species

2 of the sites are in ravines and are definitely what we call “heavy duty”. They contain items such as tires, old toilets, carpet, bikes, strollers, doors, pallets, etc. The other 2 sites are lighter duty and mostly contain general litter.

We hope to hear from you!

1. It’s a free event, so you’ll save some green. Bring the whole family. There’s lots of fun activities that can keep you entertained for hours.

2. The first 500 adults through the door receive a free recycled plastic coffee mug. The mug is green in more ways than one! (1) It’s green…literally. (2). It’s Made in the USA. (3) It’s made from post-consumer plastics. (4) It’s free!

3. The first 50 attendees at each Green Lifestyle Workshop receive a green giveaway and are entered in a drawing to win a larger item valued at $50.

11:00 am: “Backyard Composting 101: Transform Trash into Treasure.” Free compost pail made of recycled plastic to the first 50. All attendees are entered to win a backyard compost bin.

12:30 pm: “Raise Your Baby the ‘Green’ Way! A Workshop for Moms and Dads of Wee Ones.” Free infant cloth diaper to the first 50 from Greenbottoms. All attendees are entered into a drawing for a basket of healthy, eco-friendly, baby-licious stuff!

2:00 pm: “The Carbon Footprint of a Cheeseburger: How to Green your Dinner Plate with Local Foods.”  Free local beef stick from Sawyer Beef and a bag of local, organic popcorn from Oak Hill Acres Organic Farm to the first 50. All attendees are entered to win a Buy Fresh Buy Local shopping bag filled with local food items and a gift certificate to the farmers market.

4. Get “green” education. More than 60 booths from environmental organizations, businesses, groups and local governments will be on display. Hands-on activities, crafts, games, demonstrations, literature and environmental professionals. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts can work toward several environmental badges.

Find out more at www.qcearthweek.org.

Saturday, April 17: Great American Cleanup in Moline
Volunteer organizations, neighborhood associations and residents are invited to get outdoors and do their part to make Moline clean and beautiful.

The clean-up event focuses on common areas shared by residents throughout Moline. Specifically, the areas cleaned are the rights-of-ways of city streets, drainage areas and neighborhood parks.

All residents are encouraged to pick up loose litter in their neighborhood and alley, but are not required to register. The City asks residents to add their litter bags to their regular garbage collection. Residents should note that regular pick-up limits still apply and only garbage that fits inside the cart will be collected. No special pick-ups will apply.
Sign up for this event to participate in an organized group clean-up event online at www.keepmolinebeautiful.org

Friday, April 30: 26th Annual Downtown Davenport Cleanup Day
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pitch In! Help anytime or all day. Volunteers receive free admission to “Go Green Night” at Modern Woodmen Park Friday, April 30. Registration is required. Contact Marcy Hyder at 563-322-1706 or mhyder@iowaQCchamber.com. For more information visit www.downtowndavenport.com.

Saturday, May 1: Join Hands Day in Moline
Join Hands Day is the only national volunteer day that specifically targets and develops relationships between young people and adults through neighborhood volunteering. Youth and adult volunteers work together on an equal basis to plan, organize and implement the day’s activities. Building relationships across generations restores confidence, trust, and respect for each other and creates a sense of community. Sign up online at www.keepmolinebeautiful.org

Saturday, May 1: Downtown Rock Island Cleanup
Keep Rock Island Beautiful will partner with The District in collecting litter to enhance the appearance of downtown Rock Island. Keep Rock Island Beautiful plans and implements programs of education and awareness of litter control and recycling activities while promoting pride in Rock Island. They support and encourage citizens, businesses and organizations to share responsibility for keeping a healthy, safe and beautiful city.  If you are interested in helping with this clean up, contact cfuller@keepribeautiful.org or call 786-1334.

Saturday, May 8: Great 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge
Okay, so garlic mustard doesn’t really fit the definition of litter. However, garlic mustard is an invasive, noxious plant that threatens our native woodlands, natural areas & wildlife habitat. Help control it in our community by participating in the Challenge from 9 a.m. to noon! For more information visit www.extension.iastate.edu/scott.

Saturday, May 8: Bike Path Cleanup in Rock Island
To volunteer, contact Carolyn Fuller, Keep Rock Island Beautiful Executive Director at (309) 786-1334 or cfuller@keepribeautiful.org.

Saturday, May 15: Davenport Clean Sweep
Clean Sweep is a city-wide cleanup of Davenport, focusing primarily on neighborhood cleanups. The event is organized by the City of Davenport and United Neighbors. For more information and to volunteer, contact Bonnie at 322-7363 or bbeechum1@aol.com.

March & April: Living Lands & Waters needs your help
Preparing and planting trees is another great way to get outside and help our community and environment at the same time. Living Lands & Waters will be giving away 100,000 free oak seedlings in March & April as part of their MillionTrees Project! In order to give away healthy trees, they need volunteers to wrap the tree’s roots in a damp medium and place them in bags. Register to volunteer online at www.livinglandsandwaters.org or call Denise, Program Coordinator at 309-496-9848.

Saturday, March 27: Tree Planting at Nahant Marsh
You can even help plant some of the trees you helped wrap at Nahant Marsh on Saturday, March 27 from 9 a.m. – noon. For more information contact Brian Ritter at britter@eicc.edu or 563-323-5196.

Waste Commission of Scott County operates the Scott Area Landfill, Scott Area Recycling Center, Electronic Demanufacturing Facility and Household Hazardous Material Facilities. In addition, the Commission funds and houses iLivehere (that’s us). So, iLivehere is Waste Commission of Scott County’s environmental outreach program. We’re also your local Keep Iowa Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful affiliate. All we want is to help you become a better steward of our environment.

Area residents can safely dispose of old medications, exchange mercury thermometers for a digital, pick up and drop off sharps containers, and have data-sensitive documents shredded free of charge during Operation Medicine Cabinet, September 24-26, 2009.

Operation Medicine Cabinet will be held in Eldridge, Bettendorf and Davenport from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:

Thursday, September 24
Medic EMS Facility, LeClaire Road & Highway 61, Eldridge

Friday, September 25
Bettendorf Fire Station, Middle Road & Crow Creek Road, Bettendorf

Saturday, September 26
Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Avenue, Davenport

More info at www.wastecom.com

Wild Birds Unlimited of Davenport is at 3616 Eastern Avenue. While you’re in the area, check out the Habitat ReStore, too.