Volunteers haul 36 tons of trash from DSM River

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Volunteers have pulled 36 tons of trash, including a motorcycle and bicycles, from the Des Moines River in Des Moines.

Volunteers from the Izaak Walton League of Des Moines spent eight days cleaning up the river in central Iowa. They found 24 manhole covers, 24 bicycles, a dozen 55-gallon steel drums, a motorcycle, a wheelchair and a steel and wooden dock.

The Des Moines Register reports the effort was part of the group’s “Save Our Streams” initiative. They have also done cleanups along the North Raccoon and Iowa rivers in recent weeks.

The volunteers spent more than 100 hours working to pull the junk from the river and public works crews from Des Moines hauled it away.