Because the Clark County Solid Waste District had a surplus of litter cleanup supplies, Chuck Bauer, the Clark County Solid Waste District director, brainstormed how to distribute the cleanup supplies to the community, Perin said.
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The “Clean Up Litter Box,” located at 1620 W. Main Street in Springfield, supplies residents with garbage bags, gloves, litter grabbers and vests to pick up litter. There are also tips on how to stay safe during litter clean up.
“We’re hoping that if it does go good, there seems there seems to be participation, that we’re going to build five more of these Clean Up Litter Boxes and place them at our different drop-off locations around the county,” Perin said.
The program began on July 1, and Perin said they have already restocked the litter box.
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“We’ve not really received any kind of measured response,” Perin said. “This is still a pilot program at this point just to see how it goes.”
Last year, 1,112 volunteers cleaned up 125 public spaces within Clark County, Perin said.
He explained that they tend to see the most litter within the city of Springfield because of “population density.”
Litter has “wide reaching” affects on public health, wildlife and community aesthetic, Perin said.
“Even though you don’t see the chain from dropping litter on the street side to where it makes it’s way to the ocean, it does happen,” Perin said.
Residents are encouraged to share their cleanup results on the Keep Clark County Beautiful Facebook page.
For more information on the program, call 937-521-2020.
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