Join us!

Every September and October, groups from across Durham volunteer to pick up litter in their local neighborhoods, parks, and streams for Durham's largest litter cleanup event of the year.

Durham Big Sweep is coordinated by Keep Durham Beautiful, the City of Durham Stormwater Division, and Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District, with help from other City and County departments and so many partners!

Since 2005, more than 8,000 volunteers have removed 230,000 pounds of litter from the Durham Environment! This event provides countless benefits to the communities involved. It is our biggest litter removal event of the year and an impactful way to Keep Durham Beautiful.

join an organized cleanup

Saturday, Oct 4

• Cheek Rd & E Geer St Cleanup, 10AM-12PM

• Alston Ave Cleanup, 10AM-12PM

Sunday, Oct 5

• Ellerbe Trestle & Falls Lake Cleanup, 8:30AM-12PM

• Forest Hills Park Cleanup, 9AM-12PM

• South Ellerbe Creek Trail Cleanup, 12-2PM

Saturday, Oct 11

• American Tobacco Trail Cleanup at Elmira, 9-10AM

• Southside Community Cleanup, 2-4PM

Sunday, Oct 12

• MST & Falls Lake Shoreline Cleanup, 9AM-12PM

Thursday, Oct 16

• Cleanup with Eno River Association, 10AM-12PM

Sunday, Oct 19

• Goose Creek and Long Meadow Park Cleanup, 10AM-12PM

• MLK Blvd Cleanup from Cook to Archdale, 10AM-12PM

Saturday, Oct 25

• Carroll St Park Cleanup, 9-11AM

• Simmons St Creek Cleanup, 9AM-1PM

• Lakeview Park & Dearborn Dr Cleanup, 11AM-1PM

Sunday, Oct 26

• Beaver Marsh Preserve Cleanup, 9AM-12PM

Please visit our Events Page to see the full list of events, or check out the map below to see a visualization of all cleanup events.

support for volunteers

Participating volunteers will receive trash bags, gloves, litter grabbers, and vests, safety instructions, and guidance to find the litter. The City’s Neighborhood Improvement Services Department and Durham County General Services assure that collected litter is properly recycled or sent to the landfill.