Clean Your Streams Day
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Clean Your Streams Day (CYS) provides a positive impact on the environment and in our community. For three hours on one day in September, hundreds of volunteers join forces to remove marine debris from over 30 miles of waterways in the greater Toledo area. Volunteers gather at one of several kickoff locations throughout the region, then travel to an assigned waterway site to clean up. Volunteers of all ages remove and record data on what they find. Partners for Clean Streams later sends this data to the Ocean Conservancy for inclusion in International Coastal Cleanup records. Many groups, such as youth volunteer groups, businesses, church groups, and environmental organizations participate in friendly CYS group challenges.
Clean Your Streams is held annually in September. If you would like to hold a clean-up at any other time of the year, check out our sister program CYS 365, a year-round effort to keep our waterways clean, clear, and safe.
We would like to thank our generous sponsors for supporting the 27th Annual Clean Your Streams Day. Your gift helps our volunteers keep our region's water cleaner, clearer, and safer.
Grant Funders
Community Partners
CYS Underwriters
CYS Contributors
CYS Supporters
The Mannik & Smith Group
Monroe Street. United Methodist Church
Oak Openings Region Conservancy
For twenty-six years, we’ve been amazed by our volunteers’ determined water stewardship during Clean Your Streams Day. 2022 was no exception! Partners for Clean Streams is proud to present the results of their efforts in sites cleaned, pounds of marine debris removed, and river miles covered.
Remote Kickoff
After the success of our clean-on-your-own Remote Kickoff in 2020 and 2021, we knew we wanted to bring back this participation option in 2022. Volunteers chose a time and location during the week leading up to Clean Your Streams Day, submitted liability forms, then shared data and pictures following their clean-ups. The Remote Kickoff allow us to expand the geographic impact of our program. This year, we had groups clean up sites in Port Clinton, Bowling Green, Roche de Boeuf, and even in Hudson, Ohio near Cuyahoga Valley National Park! We also had two groups clean-up via watercraft: Toledo Environmental Services (Maumee River near Imagination Station) and Heritage Environmental Services (Maumee River and Grassy Creek.)
In-Person Kickoffs
On September 24, 2022, in-person volunteers arrived at one of eight kickoff locations around Northwest Ohio. From there, groups were assigned a waterway site where they spent the morning removing marine debris and tabulating data on the items they removed. Afterword, many volunteers attended our Clean Your Streams Volunteer Appreciation Picnic and enjoyed free food, education stations, door and raffle prizes, and more.
Total Impact
Clean Your Streams (CYS) is the largest single-day watershed clean-up in Northwest Ohio, as well as the largest clean-up in Ohio that contributes marine debris data to the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) database. Volunteers have an impact on watersheds around our region, including the Maumee River, Ottawa River, Swan Creek, and Maumee Bay tributaries. Thank you to all 652 volunteers that helped remove nearly seven tons of misplaced trash in and around our local rivers.
To date, more than 382,000 pounds of marine debris have been removed from area waterways by over 15,500 volunteers. Among many strange finds this year, volunteers discovered a crashed drone, a rubber ducky with a rainbow unicorn mane, a fire extinguisher, plastic succulent plants, a pregnancy test, three e-bikes, and ninety-four tires! Like last year, the #1 most commonly found item was food wrappers, with over 8000 removed.
Explore our photo gallery from the 26th Annual Clean Your Streams to see volunteers having fun and making a difference!
26th Annual Clean Your Streams Challenge Competitions
Youth Challenge Awards
Youth groups submitted their data at the post-clean-up volunteer appreciation picnic and winners were annouced later that afternoon.
Most Volunteers: Awarded to the groups with the most CYS volunteers
1st Toledo Early College High School (102 volunteers)
2nd BSA Troop 66 (24)
3rd Whitmer Science and Environmental Club (17)
Awesome Effort: Awarded to the groups with the greatest number of full bags per person
1st Toledo ZOOTeens
2nd BSA Troop 66
3rd BSA Troop 62
Battle of the Bags: Awarded to the groups who fill the greatest number of total trash bags
1st Toledo Early College High School
2nd Toledo ZOOTeens
3rd BSA Troop 66
Thank you to all the other participating youth groups: BSA Troop 200, Genoa-Penta FFA, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Troop 11095, Rogers High School students, and Toledo FFA.
Collegiate Challenge Awards
This year, collegiate challenge awards were calculated after Clean Your Streams Day via submitted data cards, rather than through challenge entry forms submitted at the picnic. Many thanks to the groups who clearly labeled their data cards with their group names and gave contact information. It turned out to be another Battle of I-75!
Most Volunteers: Awarded to the groups with the most CYS volunteers
1st UT Environmental Law Society (23 volunteers)
2nd UT Engineering Council (UTEC) partnering with UT Clean Water for the World (17)
3rd UT Phi Sigma Rho (12)
Awesome Effort: Awarded to the groups that find the most food wrappers*
1st UT Environmental Law Society
2nd UT Engineering Council (UTEC) partnering with UT Clean Water for the World
3rd UT Phi Sigma Rho
Battle of the Bags: Awarded to the groups with the greatest trash weight
1st UT Environmental Law Society
2nd BGSU Thopson Scholars
3rd UT Phi Sigma Rho
* Food wrappers have recently surpassed cigarette butts as the #1 item removed by our volunteers on CYS Day, so we’re highlighting it through this challenge.
Collegiate Strangest Find Photo Contest Winners:
“Plant Pants”
BGSU Campus Sustainability Team
Photo provided by Zach Hayes
“Sterling Field Toilet”
UT Alpha Psi Lambda + Other UT Kickoff Volunteers
Photos provided by Tim Niederkorn and Leonardo Menchaca
Photo Challenges for All
All Groups Best-Before-And-After Photo:
"Jermain Park Pond Before-and-After"
Whitmer Science and Environmental Club
Photo provided by Jeff MacKenzie
All Groups Strangest Find Photo:
"Tiki Torch and Greek Letters"
Whitmer Science and Environmental Club
Photo provided by Brooke Kern
River Partner Certification
River Partner Certification recognizes businesses, nonprofits, agencies, and other civic groups who let us know they brought volunteer groups to Clean Your Streams.
River Guardian (30-49 volunteers)
Stream Protector (10-29 volunteers)
Creek Crusader (1-9 volunteers)
To make cleaning our streams even more exciting, Partners for Clean Streams hosts friendly challenges. Challenge your friends, family, a rival team, or collegeas to collect the most trash, find unusual items, or make a big impact by bringing the most volunteers or taking the best before-and-after clean-up photos!
Youth Group CYS Challenge Awards
Most Volunteers: Awarded to the groups with the most CYS participants.
Battle of the Bags: Awarded to the groups who fill the greatest number of trash bags.
Awesome Effort: For youth groups, awarded to the groups with the largest average number of bags per person.
Collegiate Group CYS Challenge Awards
Most Volunteers: Awarded to the groups with the most CYS participants.
Battle of the Bags: Awarded to the groups who fill the greatest number of trash bags.
Awesome Effort: Awarded to the groups that find the most food wrappers, which have surpassed cigarette butts as the #1 removed trash on CYS Day.
Best Before-and-After: Awarded to the biggest before-and-after impact captured via photo.
Strangest Find: Awarded to the most unusual items removed and documented via photo.
Challenges for All
Everyone is welcome to share your Best Before-and-After and Strangest Find photos on social media with @PCSMaumee and use #CleanYourStreams419. You can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. PCS staff will vote for the winners!
Recognition for Businesses, Nonprofits, and Other Groups
When you check-in at your kickoff, let your Kickoff Coordinator know your group name and how many members are participating. Your group will be recognized with a River Partner Certification after CYS Day, as well as featured on the PCS webpage and other materials.
Watershed Warrior: 50+ volunteers
River Guardian: 30-49 volunteers
Stream Protector: 10-29 volunteers
Creek Crusader: 1-9 volunteers
Clean Your Streams Day is an annual event hosted by Partners For Clean Streams (with help from many partners) where over one thousand volunteers join forces to clean up tons of trash from over 60 sites in rivers in the greater Toledo area. We clean trash from the river during the event, educate our volunteers on marine debris, and celebrate our local, abundant rivers. We focus on high-profile, high-impact sites in need of cleaning. We hope that through Clean Your Streams, citizens take greater pride in their community and rivers, and become environmental stewards. Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about Clean Your Streams:
What day is it?
The 27th Annual Clean Your Streams will be held on Saturday, September 30, 2023. If you cannot make the in-person clean-up, a clean-on-your-own option will be offered beginning on Saturday, September 23, concluding on Saturday, September 30.
What time does it start and end?
For regular kickoffs, you will meet at your registered kickoff location between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Clean-ups officially begin at 8:30am and wrap up around 11:30am. Afterward, you're invited to attend our volunteer appreication picnic where we celebrate your Clean Your Streams accomplishments. Picnic details will be provided in your registration confirmation email.
What if I'd like to register more than one group?
If you plan to register more than one group, you must contact us directly. Our registration system can only handle one email associated with each group leader. PCS staff will help you create a custom registration. Call us at 419-874-0727 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
What is the Remote Kickoff option for Clean Your Streams?
Starting in 2020, some volunteers wanted to clean-up and record data on their own, outside of the larger kickoffs on Clean Your Streams Day. We have continued to offer our Remote Kickoff option since then. To participate in a remote clean-up, register for Clean Your Streams and select the Remote Kickoff option. You'll receive full instructions in your confirmation email, but the short version is: pick your own waterway site to clean, and complete a clean-up at your convenience any time between September 23 and September 30. Record your data using Partners for Clean Streams’ Clean Swell app. Remote volunteers are still welcome to attend the Clean Your Streams volunteer appreciation picnic on the afternoon of September 30.
What is a data card?
Your Kickoff Coordinator will pass these out the day of the event. These cards are used to record types of trash you find which are used for local and international programs as part of the International Coastal clean-up.
What is Clean Swell? How do I use it?
Clean Swell is a virtual data card in the form of an app on your phone. Once you create an account and sign in, you can start recording the trash collected for Clean Your Streams Day. Check out this video tutorial.
We ask that you use "CYS27 [Your Group Name]” when you start your Clean Swell entry, so PCS staff can easily find your data after you've submitted it.
How old do I need to be to participate?
We generally recommend that participants are over the age of 4, though any age is welcome (with the exeception of the University of Toledo kickoff, where volunteers MUST be 18 years or older). You can expect to walk on a stream bank, ditch, or other sorts of uneaven ground, picking up various types of trash. For groups with young children, our Kickoff Coordinators will intentionally assign sites that are kid-friendly, such as a park.
What do I wear?
We recommend long pants and closed-toed shoes. The entire event is held outside, so dress for the weather.
What is a kickoff location?
Volunteers will meet in the morning at one of several kickoff locations and then spread out to over 60 different clean-up sites. A kickoff location is where your group meets up before traveling to your clean-up location.
Where and when do I register?
Find the registration link on the Clean Your Streams main page!
What is a challenge award and how do I win one?
In short, Challenge Competitions (and the awards that come with them!) are ways we make our program even more fun and exciting. We have a whole page with more information!
What is a group leader?
A group leader is responsible for the coordination of their organization; including registration of all the volunteers you recruited from your group, collecting liability forms, designating site captains that get trained, completing, and submitting the Challenge Entry Form for your organization.
What is a site captain and what do they do?
Site captains are responsible for the coordination of a group or team at a designated site, including assignment of team jobs (i.e. recorder, collector), having first aid materials (provided), knowing emergency numbers (provided), gives/takes supplies, and turning in extra supplies, completed data cards, and completed Site Captain Reports at the Supply Station at the Appreciation Picnic. Each group of over 10 participants is required to have 1 Site Captain for every 10 volunteers. Training for Site Captains are required and are usually scheduled for the week before Clean Your Streams Day.
What are the responsibilities of the volunteers?
Volunteers are responsible for the collection of trash and recording what types of trash are found on data cards. Your Site Captain or Group Leader will assign recorders and collectors. Recorders are responsible for recording what the collectors pick up and writing it on data cards. Collectors are responsible for picking up the trash and letting the recorders know what they find. Volunteers are also responsible for filling out their liability forms.
Further questions can be directed to 419-874-0727 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Partners for Clean Streams Inc. is striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe
PO Box 203
Perrysburg, Ohio 43552
phone: 419-874-0727 cell: 419-205-5588
fax: 419-874-0727
e-mail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
© Partners for Clean Streams, Inc. All rights reserved.
