FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFeb. 28, 2018 Spring is upon us and there’s no better time to start the spring cleaning than getting involved in the 30th annual TRASH-OFF event. Since 2007, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has partnered with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful for the annual TRASH-OFF event, this year scheduled for April 21. The statewide, one-day cleanup activity is Oklahoma’s signature event in the Great American Cleanup, which is the nation’s largest community beautification program. Beginning March 1 through May 31 communities, counties and volunteers may participate in the Great American Cleanup anytime within the three-month span. “There is a great sense of pride when citizens come together to help keep their community a beautiful place,” said Melody Johnson, ODOT Beautification coordinator. “It amazes me every year how many Oklahomans join to keep our state clean from litter.” Keep Oklahoma Beautiful will provide free supplies and promotional items to registered TRASH-OFF participants. Those items include trash bags provided with assistance from American Waste Control Inc., Waste Connections and Waste Management; gloves and safety vests from Warren CAT, ODOT and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority; water and much more. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation additionally supports the TRASH-OFF by housing KOB’s supplies for the event at its Oklahoma City warehouse. The items are then distributed to each ODOT county maintenance yard where they are picked up by volunteer groups. In 2017, Oklahoma’s Great American Cleanup included 503 events throughout the state during the March through May timeframe. More than 46,000 volunteers and participants in all 77 counties were able to fill more than 275,000 trash bags, which held more than 4.8 million pounds of litter. According to KOB, nearly $8.4 million was saved or costs were avoided by the state, county and local governments as a result of the 2017 Great American Cleanup in Oklahoma. The efforts of ODOT and KOB have been so successful that ODOT received national recognition from Keep America Beautiful and the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2017, 2016, 2014 and 2012. Oklahoma’s Great American Cleanup is sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, OGE Energy Corp., Warren CAT, P&K Equipment, OK Environmental Management Authority, American Waste Control Inc., Waste Connections, Waste Management and the Oklahoma Beverage Association. To register for the Great American Cleanup and TRASH-OFF groups, counties and individuals can go online at www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com or call 405-286-9141.
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| Participants showcase their efforts made in the 2017 Great American Cleanup. *Photo provided by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (Editors and News Directors: For more information, call the ODOT Media and Public Relations Division at 405-521-6000.) |
