A Litter Bit Better! 2011 Final Results
The final results are in! Over 200 pounds of recyclables, 800 pounds of tires, 250 pounds of appliances, 200 pounds of metal, and 19,562 pounds of litter totaling nearly 10.5 tons (or 20,962 pounds) of waste were collected by A Litter Bit Better! volunteers during this year’s event. Over 3,334 volunteers in 242 groups registered for this year’s event. Neighborhoods were beautified, citizens gave back to their community, and all of that waste was prevented from polluting our land and water.
Organizers expanded the program this year, specifically targeting non-English speaking communities by partnering with the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association and Hawthorne Education Center. A Save the Date card was translated into 7 different languages and distributed throughout the community. As a result, the survey responses indicated more participation from these groups.
Another new focus area the ALBB steering committee members developed this year is a Business Partnership program. This voluntary program recognizes businesses that support a clean community and provides them with resources to help develop a litter policy, educate their employees, and obtain more litter and cigarette butt receptacles. Nineteen businesses have signed on already and organizers expect many more in the coming months.
Some anecdotal highlights of this year’s event include:
- For the second year in a row, total waste collected has decreased. Half of the groups that responded to surveys said they found less litter this year in the areas they have collected in over multiple years. We hope this means that more people are littering less.
- The average time spent collecting is between 1.5-2 hours.
- 80% of survey respondents pick up litter at other times during the year.
- Some of the weird finds this year were: Christmas ornaments, a pound of ground beef, adult magazines (found by Scouts), a Doritos bag with a phone number and “call me” message, lottery tickets, cash, and a Where’s Waldo stuffed toy.
If anyone sees locations where the green and blue A Litter Bit Better! bags have not yet been collected, please notify Mike Kraszewski at 254-8169.
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