Each year on the first Saturday in May, 2,000+ volunteers come together across hundreds of miles of shoreline from New York City to the Adirondacks for a day of service for the Hudson River. Volunteers clean up more than 31 tons of trash, plant trees, and remove invasive plant species.    

This year, the Riverkeeper Sweep is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, 2024. In a big, collective effort, Riverkeeper partners with schools, parks, religious communities, paddling groups, and scout troops to plan nearly 150 service projects with thousands of volunteers who play a pivotal role in the cleanup of the river.

Over 12 years, Sweep volunteers have completed 1,199 projects where they have removed 355 tons of debris, including 2,089 tires, and planted or maintained thousands of trees and shrubs. Once-neglected areas have gained year-round stewards, and rivers and creeks are better for it.

As one Sweep volunteer put it, “The Sweep is an incredible way to make a difference, set an example for others, and raise awareness of our big, beautiful, mighty, life-sustaining Hudson.”

Registration for volunteers (which is required) begins March 29. To find a location near you and sign up, visit: Riverkeeper.org/sweep.

Follow #RiverkeeperSweep on social media and find us on Instagram @Riverkeeper.

“Sweep is an opportunity to teach important lessons to our children about human impact on the planet. It’s clear that when you get kids involved in the cleanup – even at a young age – they know that they’re doing something positive. They get excited knowing that they’ve made an impact, all while having fun outside.”

– Suzie Ross, Green Ossining

“When I connect people with the river, I become more hopeful for our survival on this planet. Picking up trash that unintentionally or intentionally makes its way into the river or along its banks brings you face to face with your responsibility to ‘be the change,’ and encourage others to be the change as well.”

– Jeffrey Scales, Longwave Financial, LLC

“What matters to me is that cleaning up a section of the creek does make a difference: visually, in the health of the creek, and in my heart.”

– Sarah Underhill, Rondout Creek Watershed Alliance

"I sweep to honor the many stories that the Hudson has to tell, from those that lived here long before Henry Hudson began his journey up our waterway to the stories of future generations that have not yet been told."

- Kate Morse, Hudson Crossing Park

"Each year, Riverkeeper Sweep is an opportunity to connect with the community on our shared goal of a clean and healthy Hudson River. The river is a treasure, and the popularity of this event reflects the river’s unique place in New York’s environmental and cultural mosaic."

- Jeremy Cherson, Riverkeeper 

"Riverkeeper Sweep is the essential reminder that we are united through these bodies – water bodies – and it is up to us to take action and keep these connections flowing."

- Erin Provenzano, Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson

Katie Leung is the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator of Riverkeeper. Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law. Learn more at riverkeeper.org.