FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2016
Press Release # 16-009 Spring is fast approaching and with it comes the time to clean up Oklahoma’s great outdoors. Groups statewide are invited to roll up their shirt sleeves and pitch in by participating in the single largest one-day cleanup event in the state. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is again partnering with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful to present the 28th annual TRASH-OFF event April 23. It is the signature event of the Great American Cleanup, the largest community improvement program in the nation. “Although the official day of the TRASH-OFF is April 23 volunteers can select any day from March 1 to May 31 to suit their community’s needs or weather conditions,” Melody Johnson, ODOT beautification coordinator, said. Registered TRASH-OFF participants are eligible to receive free supplies and promotional items from KOB while supplies last. Those items include free trash bags from Glad, safety vests and gloves (in limited quantities) from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Warren CAT, Great American Cleanup banners to gain visibility for projects and T-shirts for project coordinators. Supplies will be distributed to ODOT county maintenance yards for pickup by volunteer groups. Groups who receive these supplies must submit a final report of their cleanup efforts to KOB. During last year’s TRASH-OFF event, 42 participating volunteer groups collected more than 1.5 million pounds of garbage, excluding recycling. The day doesn’t focus just on litter collection either; several groups chose to focus on beautification efforts such as planting trees or removing graffiti. The department will honor the Best Overall Effort and the Best Rookie Effort with awards in November at KOB’s Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration. Considerations include the number of volunteers, amount of trash collected, amount of trash collected per person and unusual items found. Community groups and individuals may register for both the TRASH-OFF and the Great American Cleanup by May 31 online at keepoklahomabeautiful.com or by phone at 405-286-9141. |
