Volunteers needed for litter cleanups April 10-24
Volunteers across Harnett County are needed to help clean up trash along roadways between April 10-24 for the 2021 Keep Harnett Beautiful Spring Litter Sweep.
The 2021 Keep Harnett Beautiful Spring Litter Sweep has been coordinated, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Spring Litter Sweep, to address the growing concern of litter along Harnett County roadways and encourage community participation to assist in beautifying Harnett County.
To adhere to COVID-19 mass gathering restrictions, Keep Harnett Beautiful is encouraging households and smaller groups to coordinate cleanups along a roadway of their choice during the weeks of April 10-24.
To sign up to volunteer for the Spring Litter Sweep, register online at https://www.harnett.org/waste/keep-harnett-beautiful.asp.
Volunteers of all ages and community organizations who register for this beautification effort will be provided safety vests, gloves, pickup sticks, and trash bags. Registered volunteers will be contacted via email provided in their registration form to coordinate the distribution and return of litter cleanup supplies.
This year, Keep Harnett Beautiful is offering two fun litter contests during the Spring Litter Sweep. The volunteer group that collects the most bags of litter and the volunteer group that finds the most unique piece of litter will win a prize. To participate in the contest, post your picture to Facebook using the hashtag #KHBSpringLitterSweep21 and tag the Keep Harnett Beautiful Facebook page: www.facebook.com/keepharnettbeautiful. Those individuals that do not have Facebook can still participate in the contests by uploading your pictures to the report form.
“Our Keep Harnett Beautiful team is excited to offer two contests during this year’s Spring Litter Sweep,” stated Community Relations Coordinator Ashley Bauer. “As we look to revamp our Keep Harnett Beautiful initiative, we want to keep Harnett County citizens engaged in helping us tackle this issue. Beautifying roadways throughout the County will be a team effort, and we want to provide opportunities that make volunteering fun!”
Keep Harnett Beautiful will also host an educational virtual program for elementary school students on Thursday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day. The program will explore a watershed and visualize how everything people do, including littering, has a consequence not only for us but also for communities downstream. Students will make observations as staff perform a live watershed demonstration, and then students will create a watershed model of their own to see firsthand the movement of trash and other debris as it travels into local water sources causing contamination and impacting ecosystems. More information on this virtual program will be posted on the Keep Harnett Beautiful Facebook page at www.facebook.com/keepharnettbeautiful.
Keep Harnett Beautiful is an initiative of Harnett County Government, Towns of Angier, Coats, Erwin, and Lillington, City of Dunn, Campbell University, Central Carolina Community College, Harnett County Schools, and various community partners, that involves the community in responsible solutions for a clean and beautiful environment and promotes community awareness, public education, litter reduction, waste reduction, and recycling.
For more information on Keep Harnett Beautiful, visit https://www.harnett.org/waste/keep-harnett-beautiful.asp or contact Harnett County Solid Waste at 910-814-6156 or khb@harnett.org.
