Pick It Up – Toss No Mas Trash Bash on October 16
Through a partnership between the Town of Silver City and GRIP’s Silver City Watershed Keepers, the anti-litter program Pick It Up – Toss No Mas kicks off a year-long campaign with a Trash Bash Community Cleanup on Saturday, October 16th from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm at Gough Park.
The Trash Bash brings volunteers together on one day to help make Silver City a clean and beautiful place to live by keeping our roadways and waterways litter free.
Pick up a free t-shirt, trash bags, gloves, trash pickers and snacks starting at 8:30 am in Gough Park. A brief welcome and safety tips start at 9 am. Volunteers will spend the morning cleaning up litter at a location of their choice and then return to Gough Park by 12 noon to drop off trash and recyclables and record their cleanup results. From noon to 1pm, grab a free burrito, listen to music while prizes are awarded based on cleanup results. Volunteers can share their cleanup experiences throughout the day on social media at #PickItUpTossNoMas or #SilverCityTrashBash2021.
Volunteers are asked to register HERE. Once you register, you will receive an email with instructions for the day of the event.
Be sure to wear close-toed shoes and bring a hat, water bottle, and sunscreen. Children 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Because children under 12 are not permitted on state highways for the cleanup, families with younger children are encouraged to clean up litter in their neighborhood, Big Ditch Park or San Vicente Creek.
Keep America Beautiful’s 2020 National Litter Study found that there are 2,000 pieces of litter for every mile of roadway or waterway. Litter affects our water quality, human and wildlife health, and our local economy and costs $3.5 million a year to clean up across New Mexico.
Initiated in 2018 by Mayor Ken Ladner, Silver City’s Pick It Up – Toss No Mas anti-litter campaign encourages community members, businesses, and organizations to join forces to keep our community clean and beautiful. The Trash Bash is the first event of a year-long campaign of community education and cleanups.
“The Trash Bash will be a fun and productive event! I appreciate all those who have helped with the volunteer coordinating and look forward to the splendid result of a cleaner community, brought about by the willingness of our great community to work together,” said Mayor Ken Ladner.
Monthly cleanup events are held the third Saturday of every month, and the program supplies trash bags, gloves and trash pickers to participants. Community members can also adopt a roadway or waterway to take care of and clean up throughout the year. Signups to adopt a roadway or waterway will take place at the Trash Bash.
The Trash Bash is partially funded by a grant from New Mexico Clean and Beautiful and is sponsored by the Town of Silver City, Silver City Watershed Keepers, Silver City Recycles, Silver City MainStreet, Southwest New Mexico Arts, Culture, and Tourism, Southwest Solid Waste Authority, and New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Toss No Mas Program.
More information and registration for the event can be found at silvercitywatershedkeepers.org or contact Silver City Watershed Keepers coordinator Leigh Jenkins at (304) 268-6215 or via email at pickituptossnomas@gmail.com.
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