CONESVILLE, Iowa — After the party, someone has to clean up.

When roughly 10,000 people attend the party, there is a lot of cleaning up to do.

A group of 10 to 15 dedicated volunteers is spending this week sorting recyclables out of the trash left behind at Circle of Pride Motorcycle Club’s annual Thunder in the Sand event.

Circle of Pride president Steve “Possum” Tomfeld said the wonderful weather Labor Day weekend contributed to the success of this year’s Thunder in the Sand.

“We think it’s a record crowd,” he said.

A record crowd also means record amounts of trash and Tomfeld is dedicated to keeping as much of it as possible out of local landfills.

Two local Boy Scout troops, Troop 54 from Letts and Venture Crew 4127 from Muscatine, collect beer and pop cans in special receptacles during the event.

After the party, volunteers sort cans, glass, cardboard and plastic into five  Dumpsters. Batteries and propane tanks are also culled from the trash.

“We care about green,” said Jim “Fender” Werner, a Circle of Pride member. “It’s what we’re, doing now that will affect the future. It starts with one person, one bottle. People are here because they want to be here.”

Bonnie Axtell and her daughter, Windy Stropes, were faithfully sorting through bags of garbage Wednesday afternoon.

“If we didn’t do it, who’s gonna?” Stropes said. “If it wasn’t for us doing this, it would just be laying here.”

Axtell added, “I’m a member and I want to keep our grounds clean and safe for the environment.”

It is not a job for the faint of heart. Unpleasant surprises include bags of feces, used needles and used condoms.

Axtell said they also ran across a lot of unopened food this year.

“You’d think with the economy so bad, it’d be used or taken home with them when they left,” Stropes said.

Tomfeld said he appreciates the efforts of volunteers like Stropes and Axtell.

“I’m real proud of my Circle of Pride Club members who have worked so hard at this,” he said.

Circle of Pride hosts several motorcycle rallies each year. Tomfeld said the events provide a significant boost for local merchants and the club donates a portion of the proceeds to local and national charities.