trash

MODESTO, Calif. — To say David Down has picked up a ton of trash is a literal understatement. In the past year, Down and his crew have been getting their hands dirty by sweeping 9,240 pounds of trash off of city streets and parks.

“The biggest one was the engine block," Down said. "That was pretty interesting to see someone just leave an engine in the middle of a trail.”

Down set an ambitious 10,000-pound goal for his cleanup campaign early in the year. He picked up thousands of pounds of trash along the San Joaquin River at least three times, hundreds at Knights Ferry, and another 1,300 pounds at Dry Creek Regional Park. His biggest haul was 2,840 pounds of trash at Mancini Park along the Tuolumne River.

He was primed to smash past his goal on Dec. 10, but due to surging coronavirus cases, the final cleanup of the year was canceled for safety reasons.

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