Pitch in to clean up your neighborhood, county road, or any public space from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 3, with the La Porte County Solid Waste District – and get everything you need to do it!
“Last year we sponsored more than 20 cleanups for La Porte County Community Cleanup Day with about 200 volunteers, and we’d like to have even more this year,” said Alicia Ebaugh, education and public outreach coordinator for the Solid Waste District. “It’s a great way to celebrate Earth Day and get children involved with community service.”
It’s the third year the Solid Waste District has organized La Porte County Community Cleanup Day with help from local businesses, government agencies and the national non-profit group Keep America Beautiful. More than 2.3 million people volunteer each year for KAB’s Great American Cleanup activities in more than 15,000 communities throughout the U.S., participating in cleanup, beautification and community improvement activities. People and groups who sign up to participate in La Porte County Community Cleanup Day will receive garbage bags donated by Glad for the cleanup. Water and snacks donated by Nestle, Family Express and Hearthside Foods will help them keep up their energy. After the cleanups, volunteers will be invited to thank you luncheons in Michigan City and La Porte, with food donated by Lewis Bakeries and Dr. John Avila DDS of the Coolspring Dental Clinic in Michigan City.
All you have to do is choose your own area to clean up, or join one of the cleanups already organized in Michigan City. Cleanups already organized in Michigan City include one at Washington Park Beach with the Michigan City Parks Department, and one in the Fifth Ward with County Commissioner Willie Milsap and his City/County Resource Center volunteers.
The Michigan City Refuse Department, with Refuse Inspector Connie Adams, is picking up all litter collected in Michigan City. The Community Work Program, under the guidance of La Porte County Sheriff's Deputy Bob Blair, will pick up litter collected elsewhere in the county.
Ebaugh said that many groups in the community have already indicated their interest in the cleanup, including political and religious organizations, school clubs, Girl and Boy Scout troops and families across the county.
“Caring for the environment that surrounds us is everyone’s responsibility, and everyone should get involved,” Ebaugh said.
To sign up or to donate food or materials to this event, contact Alicia Ebaugh at (219) 326-0014 or email her at aebaugh@solidwastedistrict.com.
The national sponsors of the 2014 Great American Cleanup include Dow, The Glad Products Company, Lowe’s, Phillips 66, Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment and Waste Management.
About the La Porte County Solid Waste District
The Solid Waste District was formed in 1991 to reconcile the abundance of materials entering the waste stream from our county. We are in charge of the county’s curbside recycling program, and we also operate public electronics recycling, household hazardous waste, tire and appliance collections and a compost site at Westville Correctional Facility. The District has made several other types of recycling programs through other agencies available to residents, as well, including textile, book, and Terracycle collections.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a powerful national network of community-based affiliates and participating organizations, we work with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit kab.org and follow @kabtweet on Twitter.