La Porte County Solid Waste District Holds 2015 Clean Up Day

La-Porte-Solid-Waste-2015-Clean-Up-Day-01The La Porte County Solid Waste District’s Clean It Up Day on May 2 was a huge success again this year, with more than 400 volunteers participating in 35 cleanups countywide! Half of the cleanups were completed in Michigan City alone, involving volunteers of all ages. Litter was also removed from La Porte’s downtown, parks and neighborhoods, as well as county roads in surrounding areas.

“This event is getting bigger every year as more residents realize just how much trash detracts from our communities,” said Alicia Ebaugh, district education and public outreach coordinator.

The La Porte County Solid Waste District wants to recognize everyone who helped make the event a success:

Michigan City volunteer groups – The Greater MC GOP Club, Michigan City High School, Krueger Middle School, Lake Hills Elementary School, St. Paul Lutheran School, Evergreen Baptist Church’s youth group, Michigan City Mainstreet Association, the Elston Grove Neighborhood Association, the Washington Street Historical Neighborhood Association, Sharon Carnes for Fifth Ward, Ed Gonzalez for Fifth Ward, Lisa Smiertelny’s Boy Scout troop, Nora Schultz, James Wunderlin III and family, Tracey Pollock and family, Pam Wickham and family, Samantha Chapala and family, Sue and Louie Almanza, and Mark Dever.

Willie Milsap’s City/County Resource Center, which has continued to host Michigan City’s thank you luncheon along with volunteers who once again cleaned up around the Fifth Ward.

The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department, which has hosted an Adopt a Beach cleanup for four years in a row as part of this event, and all of the volunteers who helped.

La-Porte-Solid-Waste-2015-Clean-Up-Day-02The Michigan City Refuse Department for working hard year after year to pick up all the litter collected in Michigan City.

La Porte and surrounding area volunteer groups – Friends of Blair Milo, Drew Gesse and Tabb Napier, The La Porte Service League, JJ Asphalt Maintenance, Agape Christian Church, Alcoa, American Licorice, Northwest Chapter of the Indiana Environmental Health Association, Rolling Prairie Business and Community Association, LC Sacred Heart Apostolic School, Debra LeRoy’s Girl Scout troop, Hanna Lions Club, Sean McKiel and family, Blake McKiel and family, Tim Vaughan and the Stock family, Anne Thode and friends, Ashley Wisnieski and friends, Lora and Paul Brooks, Donna and Byron Marben, Phil Liverman, and Nina Rogowski.

La Porte Fire Station #1, which hosted La Porte’s thank you luncheon again this year.

The La Porte Park and Recreation Department for picking up litter, leaves and other items collected from La Porte’s parks.

The local businesses whose donations made all of this possible – Wana Pizza, Hearthside Food Solutions, Sharon Carnes for Fifth Ward – Michigan City, Lewis Bakeries, Family Express, Waste Management, Republic Services, Burnham Glove Company and AIM Water. We couldn’t do this without them!

The cleanup day is organized in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, with trash bags donated by Glad.

Cleaning up litter not only makes county look better, it helps protect wildlife and the ecosystems in which we live, Ebaugh said. “Keeping trash out of our environment is important work, and it’s up to each one of us to do our part. These volunteers helped all of us by picking up waste that others did not dispose of properly,” she said.