Americana Drive Cleanups
2024

Clean the Bay Day - June 1, 2024

       


Troop 829 marches along Americana Drive

Our day was a great one for a cleanup, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80's. As usual, the project was in cooperation with the Fairfax County Restoration Project, and hosted by The Vistas Apartments.

We enjoyed support from several different groups today - Team Rubicon, Tzu Chi Foundation, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Boy Scout Troops 702 and 829. Thank you Team Rubicon, Tzu Chi, Appalachian Mountain Club, Troop 702 and Troop 829! We were also pleased to be joined by Delegate Vivian Watts.

Our 89 volunteers, young and old, managed to remove 163 bags of trash, 53 tires, a stroller, a bumper, a swing set, a skateboard, a bathroom sink, and roughly 1.5 tons of assorted construction debris. One thing we did not find was a toilet - the day is never complete on Americana Drive without finding a discarded toilet.

One unique find today was a 100,000 Indonesian rupiah banknote, worth about $6.15).

Improper parking above the curb is an unfortunate practice along much of Americana Drive. With the street not being quite wide enough for two-way 30 mph traffic with parking on both sides, vehicle owners are understandably apprehensive about properly parked vehicles being struck. Still the practice has left large stretches of soil bare and churned into muddy puddles, ready to erode into gullies. Today, growing mosquito larvae were evident in those puddles, making the issue also one of public health.

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Cleanup - March 24, 2024

       


West End Rugby Team with the mountain of rubbish they collected.

Our cleanup was postponed for one day due to drenching rains, but we we had clear skies and crisp early spring weather today. The Springfield Youth Club's West End Rugby Team, along with coaches and family, provided the volunteers for today, which focused on the dumping site near the tennis courts. This area had been relatively clean after our February 19th cleanup, but presented a disheartening sight when we arrived, with freshly dumped materials spilling down the slope.

Mountaineering skills were on display as the team deployed ropes to aid in moving up and down the slope and for pulling tires up to street level. By the time we finished, we had a pile of 20 trash bags, 47 tires, 1 sofa section, 1 folding chair, one car bumper, and an estimated 1.5 tons of construction debris (mostly lumber and paving blocks). Thank you West End Rugby!

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Presidents Day Cleanup - February 19, 2024

       

On Presidents Day a group of 62 volunteers turned out to address the chronic problem of dumping and heavy littering along Americana Drive. We had an excellent day for working outdoors, with cloudless skies and temperatures rising into the high 40's. As usual, the project was in cooperation with the Fairfax County Restoration Project. We were also supported by The Vistas apartments. We were also pleased to be joined by Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, Clerk of the Circuit Court Chris Falcon, and Deputy Director of Code Compliance Ben Aiken.

We were joined by groups from Covanta and the Prince of Peace Church Youth Group.

Operation Stream Shield, a Fairfax County work program for shelter residents, makes our task easier by making regular visits to clean along Americana Drive. Unfortunately, the dumpers and litterbugs are at work 24/7.

In three hours of work, the volunteers removed 155 bags of trash, 5 chairs, 3 lamps, 4 tires, 1 extension ladder, 1 oxygen tank, 1 5-quart bottle of used motor oil, 1 Toyota grille, 1 bottle jack, 1 mannequin head, 1 toilet seat, 1 old 9mm shell casing, and a guesstimated total of 2 tons of (mostly) construction debris.


Mannequin head found along Americana Drive

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Read about our earlier cleanups