Walking around any city you might see a stray plastic bag, some empty cans or loose paper flyers. Unfortunately, the City of Raleigh is no exception, BUT some locals are trying their best to cutdown on the trash by giving an entirely new meaning to “Sunday Funday.”
Blake Foster, a Raleigh Water employee, is usually leading the volunteers, in partnership with The Great Raleigh Cleanup. The group focusing on beautifying the City with scheduled litter pickups every other Sunday. Blake’s passion for what he calls “intense curiosities,” think rock climbing and caving, is what sparked the idea to coordinate these cleanups.
Thus the “B-Team” was born!
The team is a way to be part of a great cause and spend time with his friends, that maybe didn’t want to climb along a cliffs edge. On some weekends Blake goes by the title of "Volunteer Lead" and heads the “B-Team.” On one of the recent outing's members collected 5,281 pounds of trash. That is a record-breaking amount of waste, passing the previous Great Raleigh Cleanup record by almost 2,000 pounds!
Weighing the Trash Talk.
Typically, a volunteer picks up 30 – 40 pounds of trash per hour… and the events run about two hours… That’s a lot of trash. This year, Blake is setting his sights on a new goal of collecting 20,000 pounds of trash. Since the last event the team is already halfway there. That is dedication no one is going to throw away.
The Great Raleigh Cleanup is always hosting volunteer cleanups. You could even join the B-Team! Even better, many times this awesome group will celebrate their trash collecting success with a trip to Waffle House. Serving the community has never been more satisfying than spending it with new friends and a hearty breakfast!
"Every single person makes an impact." Blake explains, "It's not just some spiel. I have the data! One person can seriously make a difference. It's helping the community and meeting cool people."
A big thanks to the B-Team! We appreciate you keeping Raleigh clean and can’t wait for you to reach your goal.
