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Volunteer Clean-Up Reveals Syringes, Chemicals

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2007

BRANDON - Students from First United Methodist Church of Brandon had to halt their cleanup project at Morris Bridge bike trails Sept. 22 when they came across glass syringes and chemicals from an old cattle inoculation operation that had been dumped into a sinkhole.

The students picked up truckloads of junk, including sinks, window frames, a gas can, a gas tank from an old tractor, bottles, cans, roofing tin and more from property next to the Tampa Bypass Canal. The group also collected several bags of glass and debris from a sinkhole on another part of the property.

Eddie Anderson, a ranger with the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, told the students he was amazed at how much the group collected.

The students were pulled from their original cleanup area when the syringes and chemicals were spotted. An investigation by the county concluded there was no hazardous waste involved, parks department spokesman John Brill said.

Michael McCrystal, director of student ministries at First United Methodist Church, said he discovered the trashed area while hiking and decided to bring the students there to clean it up.

'It turned out to be a lot more than we were prepared to handle,' McCrystal said.

Brill said the county plans to send in a crew to complete the cleanup.

Yvette C. Hammett

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