180 Volunteers, 2.75 Tons: A Spring Cleanup at Tinicum Marsh

Volunteers in waders pulling an illegally dumped tire from the mud of Tinicum Marsh
Volunteers in waders pulling an illegally dumped tire from the mud of Tinicum Marsh
Photo: United By Blue — John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia

On April 18, United By Blue joined the annual spring cleanup at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Philadelphia. Over four hours, 180 volunteers removed 2.75 tons of litter — more than 5,500 pounds — from Tinicum Marsh, along with 20 illegally dumped tires.

The refuge runs the cleanup every spring as part of its volunteer program, and the event was open to the public. This year it fell on an overcast, cool day with the marsh at low tide. The receding water exposed the marsh bed and let volunteers in waders reach debris that is normally underwater. Refuge rangers led the work, and experienced volunteers guided newer ones to the spots that needed clearing.

About the refuge

John Heinz was established in 1972 as the first urban national wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created through local advocacy and later renamed for U.S. Senator John Heinz. The refuge sits inside the city of Philadelphia near the airport, and its habitats are part of the Delaware Estuary. It has recorded more than 300 species, with 90 known to nest on site, and is designated an Important Bird Area.

Tinicum Marsh is the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, and it is far smaller than it once was. By the 1950s, the marsh had shrunk from more than 5,000 acres to about 200. To manage what remains, the refuge raises and lowers water levels across a 145-acre wetland to support migrating birds: lowering it exposes mudflats where shorebirds feed, and raising it holds open water for waterfowl. The marsh drains toward Darby Creek and, from there, the Delaware River, so debris left in it can move downstream rather than stay in place.

Pile of filled trash bags and tires staged after the Tinicum Marsh cleanup in Philadelphia
Photo: United By Blue — John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia

What 180 volunteers removed

Volunteers cleared 2.75 tons of litter and debris, more than 5,500 pounds, over the four hours — bagging trash and carrying it back across the boardwalk and out of the wetland. Most of it was everyday litter that had washed or been dumped into the marsh; the rest was heavier debris worked loose from the mud. The cleanup is not cosmetic. Trash left in a waterway degrades habitat and harms the wildlife that depends on it, and this marsh supports more than 300 species.

The cleanup also located and removed 20 illegally dumped tires; all have since been hauled off. Dumped tires hold standing water. The EPA notes that this lets a tire collect water and breed disease-carrying mosquitoes, and tire piles also pose fire and soil-contamination risks. Pulling 20 out of the marsh removes 20 standing-water traps from bird habitat.

The day was a partnership. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge, and its rangers led the cleanup. United By Blue took part alongside the Philadelphia Water Department, a longtime United By Blue partner, and Friends of John Heinz, the refuge's volunteer support group. The 180 volunteers did the hands-on work, much of it in waders at the water line.

Food and a weirdest-trash contest

United By Blue kept volunteers fed during the cleanup with donuts from Dottie's Donuts and pizza. At the end, organizers ran a "weirdest trash" contest, and volunteers voted on the strangest items pulled from the marsh.

Volunteers gather to vote on the strangest finds in the cleanup's weirdest-trash contest
Photo: United By Blue — John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia

The finds included a Kmart shopping cart, a boogie board, and a baby doll with a bottle. Winners chose a United By Blue backpack in the colorway of their choice.

Why it matters

United By Blue removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product it sells, and runs and joins community cleanups across the country. The April 18 cleanup removed more than 5,500 pounds in a single morning — a total that takes a large, coordinated group rather than individual effort.

Tinicum Marsh is now clear of that debris and the 20 tires. The refuge holds the cleanup every year because an urban wetland collects litter faster than its staff can remove it alone, which is why volunteer turnout and partners matter to keeping it clear.

Sources

  1. "John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed June 2026.
  2. "John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum — About Us." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed June 2026.
  3. "John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum — Species." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed June 2026.
  4. "John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum — What We Do." U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed June 2026.
  5. "Learn About Aquatic Trash." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2026.
  6. "Scrap Tires: Health and Environmental Concerns." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2026.
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