County Executive Johnny Olszewski is calling on County residents and organizations to help reduce the litter that degrades communities and threatens waterways. BaltCo Litter Blitz 2022 is a grassroots outreach effort that invites groups of any size in Baltimore County to “team up to tackle litter” by hosting community litter cleanups during the month of April and reporting their results.
“Earth Month is the perfect time to reflect on how our personal actions make a difference in our neighborhoods and our local environment,” said Olszewski. “By involving a broad network of community groups, faith-based organizations, environmental watershed partners, businesses, families, students and others, we hope that this giant outdoor ‘spring cleaning’ creates a meaningful impact on our accumulated litter and highlights the problems litter creates in our communities and waterways.”
CLEANUP REGISTRATION AND RESOURCES
Details and resources for the initiative, including a registration form, a cleanup checklist and social media toolkit, an interactive cleanup map and real-time results dashboard, are all accessible via the County’s website. Groups that choose to organize a cleanup can register their events, request supplies and indicate if they are seeking volunteers, and people who wish to volunteer can find contact information to reach out to them directly.
Upon request, the County is providing contractor bags and safety gloves to registered cleanups while supplies last and trash pickups for large cleanups.
The Litter Blitz initiative is a partnership between the County Executive’s Office and three Baltimore County departments – Public Works and Transportation, Environmental Protection and Sustainability, and Recreation and Parks.
In addition to the Litter Blitz, the County’s Code Enforcement inspectors are conducting an Earth Month series of commercial dumpster sweeps and educational outreach in various locations around the County to emphasize compliance with regulations designed to prevent overflow and spillage of trash. People may report concerns about litter in commercial areas by filing a code complaint on the Baltimore County website, via the BaltCoGo app, or by calling 311.
LONG-TERM ANTI-LITTER PROGRAMS
In addition to the one-month Litter Blitz promotion, Olszewski encourages people to participate in the County’s year-round litter collection programs, Adopt-A-Road and the Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge.
The County’s Adopt-a-Road program currently includes 110 groups who pick up litter along a designated section of county roadway at least four times per year. Eligible adopters include civic and nonprofit organizations, school groups, commercial and private enterprises, families and individuals.
The Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge allows groups who conduct a 15-minute litter cleanup to designate a Baltimore County public school to earn credit towards grants to fund school-based environmental projects like outdoor classrooms, butterfly or rain gardens and nature educational opportunities for students.