General Information Pages

• Main Information Page
• Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Sponsors

Keeping It Clean

North Carolina Big Sweep was founded as Beach Sweep in 1987 by Dr. Lundie Spence of the North Carolina Sea Grant College Program. In that seminal year, the Sweep was nothing more than a hastily-planned coastal cleanup. However, our success that year, attracting over 1,000 volunteers and collecting over 14 tons of debris, allowed the Sweep to grow and rapidly expand inland. In 1989, our public-private partnership officially became Big Sweep, the nation's first statewide waterway cleanup. Since our founding, North Carolina Big Sweep has had more than 230,000 volunteers and collected over eight million pounds of trash from North Carolina watersheds.

North Carolina Big Sweep, Inc. is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that plans and coordinates the statewide Big Sweep. We are involved in several stewardship projects, including the Marina Monofilament Line Recycling Project and the Pier Litter Educational Campaign; and we have been commended by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission for the 12-month Adopt-A-Beach pilot program.

Our Effort to Educate

We also provide a variety of educational resources to encourage good environmental stewardship of our watersheds. We offer aquatic litter activity books for teachers, educational posters and brochures, and six-pack ring recycling trees for schools. North Carolina Big Sweep has gained national recognition for our many quality educational products, such as Splish Splash for grades K-3 and Ripples for grades 4 and 5.

But we don't leave the adults out either! For those who enjoy recreation on our waterways, we offer boat litter bags and pocket ashtrays. Please don't hesitate to contact us; we would love to have your help in promoting proper use of one of our most important natural resources.

Join the Team!

If you would like to help with the annual cleanup, please visit Getting Involved. Or, if you would prefer to support our effort in the form of a tax-deductible gift, you may do so by check or credit card. Please make checks payable to N.C. Big Sweep and send to the address below. For donations by credit card, visit our become a member page to donate online or by fax or mail. Thank you! Your contributions will help us to maintain our year-round educational effort for a litter-free North Carolina.

Awards for the North Carolina Big Sweep

• Take Pride in America Hall of Fame
  Big Sweep was the first North Carolina organization to receive this award.
• Keep America Beautiful Public Lands Stewardship Award
• Keep America Beautiful Take Care of America Award
• Chemical Industry Council Environmental Stewardship Award