The time has come for a little spring cleaning in McCandless.
The town’s annual spring roadside cleanup is scheduled for April 12. The rain date will be April 26.
It’s a perfect opportunity for scholastic and local clubs, including high school and college organizations, to lend a hand. The event often is used toward service hours requirements, said Jeff Petro, chair of the town’s Environmental Advisory Committee.
A similar event is held in the fall, but the spring cleanup is particularly important as the winter season makes quite a mess, he said.
“Winter is especially hard on roads. It can accumulate a lot of litter,” Petro said.
The town’s Environmental Advisory Committee holds the event in conjunction with Earth Day, which falls on April 22 this year.
Participants are asked to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Department of Public Works garage, 9957 Grubbs Road, where they will be provided with vests, gloves, bags and breakfast treats.
“Since we began in 2018, we have collected over 2,300 bags of garbage. We picked up approximately 200 bags last year with over 100 residents. It’s a consistent 200 bags of litter every year,” Petro said.
He said some of the usual finds on cleanup day include money, wallets, vape pens, car parts and tires, political signs and cans.
Councilman Nicholas Giorgetti is the EAC liaison. He, along with all of the other council members, joined in the cleanup last year.
“I love participating in McCandless’ spring cleanup day. The EAC does an incredible job of orchestrating and recruiting volunteers to clean the streets of McCandless. It’s always an eye-opening experience to see the sheer quantity of litter that accumulates throughout the year,” Giorgetti said.
Petro said each resident will be given about a mile of roadway to clean, which usually is about two to three hours’ worth of work. Maps with highlighted routes will be distributed and the town police will monitor the area for safety.
Petro recommends to “dress for the weather” but still advises to wear long sleeves and pants even for warm weather.
He hopes more people sign up, adding litter isn’t just an eyesore but it also is harmful to the environment, including the local waterway of Pine Creek.
With 29,000 residents in the town, there are a lot of people who can potentially be a part of this important effort, he said.
“Taking care and pride in our community is generational. It sends the right message to our children,” said Petro, suggesting locals can “adopt” an area of road to keep clean year-round.
Giorgetti said it’s about keeping the town beautiful.
“We are truly fortunate to live in a town as nice as McCandless and are lucky to have the EAC, and our many other boards and committees that work tirelessly to continue to make McCandless an even better place to call home,” he said.
For details on how to participate in the cleanup, visit townofmccandless.org.
