Across Baltimore County, people have teamed up to tackle litter this Earth Month for Litter Blitz 2022. To date, the County has provided 974 trash bags and 511 pairs of gloves for Litter Blitz cleanups, which were distributed via 14 pickup locations across the county with the help of public works and recreation and parks employees and volunteers. Of the 83 Litter Blitz cleanups registered so far, 68 cleanups have been completed, and 37 of those completed cleanups have submitted their results, reporting nearly 1,200 volunteers recruited and 7,000 pounds of litter—or 3.5 tons—cleaned up in their communities.
Cleanup organizers have until the end of May to submit information through the Litter Blitz hub site about the number of volunteers recruited and bags of trash collected, as well as any large items not bagged, such as furniture, carpet and tires. Organizers have used the hub site to select 24 Baltimore County public schools to receive Clean Green 15 credit for their cleanups. They have also used the site to upload cleanup photos, which can be viewed on the Clean Green Baltimore County Facebook page.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski thanked organizers and volunteers in a video earlier this week, recognizing the significant impact their Litter Blitz cleanups have made in their communities. Since Litter Blitz launched on April 1, cleanups have been conducted in:
- Arlington
- Catonsville
- Cockeysville
- Dundalk
- Essex
- Gwynn Oak
- Halethorpe
- Loch Raven
- Lutherville
- Middle River
- Northwood
- Owings Mills
- Parkville
- Perry Hall
- Phoenix
- Pikesville
- Randallstown
- Raspeburg
- Reisterstown
- Rosedale
- Sparks Glencoe
- Towson
- White Marsh
- Windsor Mill
In Cockeysville alone, 16 cleanups have taken place. We are thrilled with the results reported so far, and we can’t thank our superstar Litter Blitz cleanup organizers and volunteers enough for their efforts and commitment to a cleaner, greener Baltimore County!
If you registered a Litter Blitz cleanup, don’t forget to report your results to help us measure the program’s success and collect important data that will be submitted to the Maryland Department of the Environment.
WHY DOES LITTER MATTER?
A 2021 Keep America Beautiful Study found nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along the nation’s roadways and waterways, which is more than 2,000 pieces of litter per mile and 152 items per U.S. resident. Litter detracts greatly from our communities. It is blown across open spaces and streetscapes, washes into storm drains and pollutes our waterways. This negatively impacts not only our water quality and the health of the environment, but also things like quality of life and economic development.
There’s no single solution to combating the litter issue in Baltimore County, which is why the County takes a multi-pronged approach to the problem through both litter prevention and removal programs that educate and engage the community. Read more about it on the County’s website.
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.