Summer city-county cleanup effort has drawn interest but more is needed

New Albany Adopt-a-Street Manager Emily Draffen is looking for more volunteers for the Summer Clean Sweep event on Saturday, July 31. Some have shown interest but there is plenty of work to go around.

The New Albany Main Street Association, which is overseeing the event, is calling for volunteers to meet at the Union County Heritage Museum by 9 a.m. where they will distribute garbage bags and assign groups to specific streets or areas for litter removal. Individuals or groups who already have an area in mind make pick up there.

Although clean-up efforts have mostly been in the city in past years, this time volunteers throughout the county will be asked to participate.

Volunteers will remove litter until 12 p.m. at which time the Union County Development Association will be providing lunch for volunteers.

This city- and county-wide cleanup event is registered with the Keep America Beautiful and the Great American Cleanup.

Draffen will be reporting to Keep America Beautiful on how many volunteers participate, how much of the county volunteers are able to cover, and how many bags of trash volunteers collect.

Keep New Albany & Union County Beautiful is on Facebook at @keepnaanducbeautiful and Instagram at @keepnaanducbeautiful and volunteers are encouraged to follow and engage with these accounts, tagging them in any posts or photos of trash picked up.

“We want to encourage coming together as a community and taking care of our county. We’ve got a truly special area here and it’s on us to be good stewards,” she said.

Volunteers are encouraged to call the Main Street office at (662) 534-3438 with any questions about the event. “Mark your calendars now and please make plans to join the Summer Clean Sweep event,” she said.

Coincidentally, city officials are working to step up enforcement of city ordinances relating to litter, garbage and rubbish.

It is the city’s responsibility to determine whether lots and residences, because of their overgrown and untended condition, pose a threat to the health and welfare of the residents of the city.

Beyond safety reasons, unkempt yards that are overgrown or have abandoned vehicles or inappropriate furniture or appliances in yards affect neighboring property values and the overall ability of the city to attract new residents and grow.

Concerning solid waste, it is, of course, illegal to litter or place unbagged or uncovered trash or debris in the street or ditch.

Tree trimmings and related landscape material is required to be cut down to a certain size and weight and placed within five feet of the walk or street.

Garbage containers must be of commercial manufacture and can only be placed by the street after 6 p.m. before the day of pickup and removed by 6 p.m. the day of collection.