What started as a small volunteer effort to pick up roadside litter has grown into a countywide initiative dedicated to keeping Swain County’s roads, rivers, parks and public spaces clean.
“Swain Clean is an informal group of volunteers who pick up trash and litter on roadsides, in parks and along rivers to help make Swain County cleaner and greener,” said Cynthia Womble, co-director.
Volunteers are needed.
“We usually have between 10 and 20 volunteers,” Womble said. “Special events can be as many as 50 to 60.”
Swain Clean conducts monthly cleanups across the county while also supporting larger environmental projects throughout Western North Carolina.
This year alone, volunteers have collected approximately 250 35-gallon bags of roadside litter.
Following Tropical Storm Helene, the group coordinated more than 1,000 volunteer hours at David Monteith Park along old N.C. Highway 288.
The organization also assists community, church and school cleanup efforts and participates in regional projects, including river cleanups with the Carolina Canoe Club, the annual Fontana Lake Shore Cleanup and litter pickups in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For co-director Nick Nichols, the work is about protecting the area’s natural beauty.
“It is a privilege to live in the area we do,” Nichols said. “Swain Clean volunteers give of themselves to try to maintain the pristine beauty. Unfortunately, that is a never-ending struggle.”
That struggle is reflected in the volume of litter volunteers continue to find throughout the county.
Womble said the most common problems include trash discarded by motorists, debris that falls from unsecured truck beds and trailers, and illegal dumping.
“Litter keeps reappearing,” Womble said. “It can be demoralizing to clean an area and the next day see trash there again.”
Earlier this month, Nichols and volunteer Valerie Ely collected approximately 2,000 pieces of litter during a cleanup at Newfound Gap.
“Nick and I go out on Sunday once or twice a month,” Ely said. “We pick up hundreds of cigarette butts and candy wrappers — small micro-trash.”
Womble said residents can help by properly disposing of trash, securing loads before transporting them and picking up litter when they see it.
“Anybody could pick up litter,” Womble said. “It is a simple thing that takes very little time and costs almost nothing. It is the least we can do for our community.”
Residents interested in volunteering can participate as often as their schedules allow.
“You don’t have to commit to helping every month,” Womble said. “Come whenever you can. Every piece of trash you remove helps.”