Volunteers Compete in Brazos River Cleanup Challenge

Teams race to collect the most trash in annual 'Trash Dash and Bash' event.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 9:49pm

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A bold, graphic illustration of a kayak paddle repeated in a grid pattern, using a vibrant neon color palette to capture the energy and teamwork of the community cleanup event.Volunteers take to the Brazos River in kayaks to collect trash during the annual 'Trash Dash and Bash' cleanup competition in Waco, Texas.Waco Today

Dozens of volunteers gathered at Brazos Park East in Waco, Texas to participate in the third annual 'Trash Dash and Bash', a river cleanup competition where teams on shore and in kayaks raced to see who could collect the most waste from the Brazos River. The event, organized by Keep Waco Beautiful, awarded prizes for categories like best team name and weirdest find.

Why it matters

Events like the 'Trash Dash and Bash' help support the year-round efforts of Keep Waco Beautiful to make the city a more vibrant and environmentally-friendly place to live. The competition element encourages community engagement and teamwork in service of a greater good.

The details

Teams of volunteers spread across trails, shorelines, and took to kayaks to clear debris from the Brazos River. Participants competed to see who could bring in the most waste, with the winning team from First National Bank of Central Texas collecting 369 pounds of trash.

  • The third annual 'Trash Dash and Bash' event took place on April 11, 2026.

The players

Keep Waco Beautiful

A local nonprofit organization dedicated to making Waco, Texas a more vibrant and environmentally-friendly city through community engagement and cleanup initiatives.

First National Bank of Central Texas

The winning team in the 'Trash Dash and Bash' competition, collecting 369 pounds of waste from the Brazos River.

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What they’re saying

“This is our third annual 'Trash Dash and Bash', it's a river cleanup competition where we get teams out and compete against each other. We just enjoy a big team building event while making our city a more beautiful place to live.”

— Carole Fergusson, of Keep Waco Beautiful

“Each team is competing to see who brings in the most waste, which is really exciting because that's not in the river anymore. That's not in our park anymore. That's not in our trails anymore. So it's really making our city a vibrant place to be.”

— Carole Fergusson, of Keep Waco Beautiful

“We want to make sure that our footprint here is one that's positive, that's community-driven and engaged.”

— Derek Sloan, of Electrolit

“It's hard work, but it's really rewarding. Because, to see the park look beautiful and to know that folks are going to be able to come out and enjoy a clean environment, it just really feels good.”

— Liz Barton, of First National Bank of Central Texas

What’s next

Keep Waco Beautiful plans to continue hosting the 'Trash Dash and Bash' river cleanup competition annually to support their year-round efforts to maintain the city's parks, trails, and waterways.

The takeaway

Community-driven cleanup events like the 'Trash Dash and Bash' demonstrate how local organizations can engage residents in meaningful environmental stewardship, fostering a sense of civic pride and collective responsibility for preserving public spaces.