Our Daily Show Interview! Talkin' Trash With Rusty Wheat!
ALTON - In a recent segment of "Our Daily Show!" with C.J. Nasello, community advocate Rusty Wheat discussed his ongoing efforts to clean up local neighborhoods and the support he has received from local politicians and residents.
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Wheat is the leader of the group "The Chain Gang," which can be found at almost any venue around the region in trash cleanup efforts. Wheat's primary spot weekly is on Illinois 143.
Wheat highlighted the involvement of figures such as Wood River politicians Jeremy Plank, Tom Stalcup, and Bethalto Mayor Gary Bost, whom he credited with being instrumental in the cleanup initiatives.
Wheat emphasized the importance of community involvement in these efforts.
"Members of the community assisting is so important," he said, noting that the group has received significant help from local organizations and individuals. One woman recently offered him $200 for barricades. Although Wheat declined the donation, he expressed gratitude for the gesture, saying, "It was so nice."
Wheat described a recent cleanup event that took place in Wood River, where he collaborated with a Walmart crew.
"Six to seven employees came out and brought me a bunch of rubber gloves and worked for a couple of hours, picking up over 20 bags of trash," he said.
This event is part of a broader initiative that includes a city-wide cleanup in Wood River scheduled for April 5m 2025 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the police department, as well as a cleanup in Bethalto on April 6 to begin at 1 p.m. at Dollar General. The Pride, Inc., cleanup in Alton is Saturday, April 12.
Wheat has also been invited to speak at local meetings, including a Rotary Club luncheon, where he plans to encourage others to participate in community service.
"People are paying attention to what we are doing," he noted. He expressed a sense of humility in Pride Inc., naming him to an Outstanding Citizenship award for his trash cleanup efforts, saying, "It really humbled me."
As the group prepares for upcoming Earth Day cleanups on April 22, Wheat reflected on the positive impact of their work.
"I never knew how amazing it is to lead by example and show you care about the community, then you will be surprised at the good that comes," he said.
Wheat's efforts, which include weekly cleanups, have resulted in the collection of significant amounts of litter, reinforcing his belief that "beautiful things are happening just picking up trash."
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