Tulsa Group Calls For Trash Cleanup Across The State

A group of local volunteers persevered through freezing temperatures and wind to pick up trash around the Arkansas River, filling several trash bins with litter found around Helmerich Park.

Joel Kantor of volunteer group the Oklahoma River Warriors kept warm Saturday by riding a few miles on his bike.

"Exercise gets the blood flowing!" said Kantor.

He also walked around the banks of the Arkansas River picking up all the trash he could find.

"That's pretty much the way of the world and we all have to contribute," Kantor stated.  

Oklahoma River Warriors President Scott Hood says the reason he contributes is his dad.

"He taught me to pick up after myself and to not be a pig and to respect the environment," said Hood.

The Oklahoma River Warriors say if this trash isn't picked up, it can end up in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Plastic bottles float, plastic bags float, they get in the river system,” Hood explained. “And everything flows downstream."

Hood is looking for people who are committed to cleaning up and not just in Tulsa.

"Their favorite place in Oklahoma and claim it as their own,” said Hood. “Become an Oklahoma River Warrior for that spot."

His goal is for volunteers to clean up the whole state, especially around streams, rivers and lakes.

And while Kantor has his own trash collecting system on his bike, the work can be done even if it's not a part of an exercise routine.

"Just grab your wife, grab your husband, grab your kids, grab a bag, come out and pick up some trash," said Kantor.

Just don't let the wind blow the trash away.