The Route 9 River Journal Heroes have one thing in common – our wish to clean up and keep (as far as possible) trash-free one particular stretch of the highway near to where we live.
Other than that, you could definitely call us a mixed bunch. Several are born and bred locals, with roots in Sleepy Hollow, other nearby neighborhoods, or along the Hudson, or else have lived here for decades. A few of us are Brits, others are Asian. Many are nature lovers. Some are parents, some are marathon runners (it’s possible to be both). Various of us are full or semi-retirees, others young or middle-aged.
Our professions range from medical to financial, from publishing and advertising, to public relations and non-profit work. But put us in a Day-Glo visibility vest, hand us a trash picker, and we’re all the same – prepared to devote an hour or so every now and then to collecting the garbage on Route 9 between Phelps Hospital (the kind donors of our vests and sticks) and Guadalajara restaurant.
What do we find? Medical waste, coffee cups, miniature spirits bottles, water bottles (some full of something that isn’t water), cigarette packets, car parts, political signage for elections long gone, you name it. So far no cash, valuables or jewelry. But we have a running wager on the number of red Folgers coffee cans we each find. Personal high here has topped five and counting.
It’s not the most fun you can have on a Saturday morning, often in cold weather, with traffic speeding by, nevertheless there’s a great sense of community, empowerment and burnished halos. Joint effort can do that. Best of all, we go home leaving behind a mountain of bulging black sacks (my thanks to whichever DPW comes and removes these) and a sense of job well done.
Please feel free to copy us and set up your own group. All it takes is some like-minded folk and a little assistance from the local branch of the Department of Public Works. I promise you it’s worth it.
