Key Points
- Marathon Petroleum employees joined forces with community and business partners for a major cleanup effort along the Ohio River.
- Volunteers collected dozens of large bags of trash and debris from riverbanks in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and Kenova, West Virginia.
- The annual Ohio River Sweep extends the entire length of the river, which borders six states and stretches hundreds of miles.
It’s a big job that extends hundreds of miles, and teams from Marathon Petroleum rolled up their sleeves alongside community members to do their part, one bag at a time, at the 2025 Ohio River Sweep.
Dozens of volunteers from our Catlettsburg refinery and MPLX Kenova Plant, along with our marine, terminal and pipeline operations, joined Marathon Petroleum interns/co-ops, contractors and local business partners to clean up two sites along the Ohio River. By the end of the day, the group had filled 80 large bags with trash and debris collected from riverbanks in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and Virginia Point in Kenova, West Virginia.
“This is what community looks like,” said Carla Mings, Environmental Engineer at Marathon Petroleum, who helped organize the company’s participation in this year’s river cleanup. “We live here, we work here, and we take pride in keeping the river that runs through our backyard clean and healthy.”
Hosted by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and its nonprofit arm, Foundation for Ohio River Education (F.O.R.E.), the Ohio River Sweep unites volunteers from six states each year to clean up hundreds of miles of shoreline. The nonprofit organization provides gloves, trash bags and T-shirts to help make each cleanup a success.
“ORSANCO’s Ohio River Sweep litter cleanup program is a massive effort, and it simply isn’t possible without strong partnerships, dedicated volunteers and generous sponsors,” said Rachel Toney, Program Coordinator at ORSANCO’s Foundation for Ohio River Education (FORE). “As a long-time sponsor and cleanup host, Marathon Petroleum brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to this work year after year. Their teams lead by example, reminding us what true stewardship of our shared waterways looks like.”
Marathon Petroleum and the Ceredo Kenova Rotary provided boxed lunches to fuel the volunteers, while Rollins Funeral Home supplied water. Other supporting companies included Braskem, AOC, AEP West Virginia, and Kentucky Power.
For Marathon teams, the day was about more than collecting litter. It was about teamwork, connection and satisfaction in making a difference close to home.
“We take a lot of pride in being part of something that makes a visible difference,” said Sheila Fraley, Community Relations Representative at Marathon Petroleum. “It makes you grateful to work for an organization and live in a community that cares about the place we call home, so events like these are more than worth it.”
