Little Tinicum Island, Phase 4
Valley Forge State Forest

Little Tinicum Island is located off of Essington, PA, in the Delaware River. Tires, bottles, and every kind of floatable debris are deposited along its shoreline during high tides and flooding and then trapped in the tree roots, driftwood and plant life as the tides recede. The cleanup of trash on the island has been an ongoing process, with more than 30 tons of debris removed over the course of four separate cleanups.

During this fourth cleanup of the island on Saturday, October 23rd, 2004, volunteers spread out along the sandy beach, collecting tires and bagging debris. Sixty-three volunteers, donating a total of 378 hours, collected three tons of trash, carrying everything by hand back along the beach to the waiting barge. Lunch was a welcome midday break and then everyone worked as a team to complete the job. Later that day, the group unloaded the barge at the dock, filling a 40-yard roll off with trash.

PA CleanWays, Inc. organized the cleanup, with volunteers representing DEP, DCNR, Delaware County Community Service, and local concerned citizens. The West End Boat Club donated the use of their docks and facilities, the Delaware Bay and River Co-op donated boats, the barge and boat crew, the USCG Auxiliary donated an emergency response boat, Harmon Recycling & Hauling donated the rolloff for the tires, American Ref-Fuel donated tire disposal, Waste Management of Delaware Valley - South Transfer donated hauling and trash disposal, and Johnny on the Spot, Inc. provided the Port-A-John.

DCNR encourages Delaware County residents with recycling or proper disposal questions to contact the Delaware County Recycling Coordinator at (610) 892-9716.

Valley Forge State Forest Cleanup Team Valley Forge State Forest Personnel American Ref-Fuel Delaware Bay And River Co-op Harmon Recycling & Hauling Johnny on the Spot, Inc. PA CleanWays, Inc. USCG Auxiliary Waste Management of Delaware County - South Transfer West End Boat Club

Valley Forge State Forest is comprised of 912 acres, spread out over six separate tracts located in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. The forest is home to four unusual natural areas that are open to the public. These areas include Goat Hill Serpentine Barrens, which protects a nationally rare ecosystem of pitch pine and hardy plants that can endure metal-laden soil formed from the underlying serpentinite rock, and Little Tinicum Island, a forested tidal flat in the Delaware River, accessible only by boat. Also, included are the David R. Johnson Natural Area and the Ruth Zimmerman Natural Area.

Learn about other illegal dump sites in state forests and parks.

This page last updated January 17, 2005.

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