COLUMBUS, OH -- County roadways and ditches throughout Geauga and Trumbull counties will be cleaner this summer thanks, in part, to a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District will receive a $162,725 Recycle, Ohio! grant from the ODNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention to fund a variety of activities in the two counties, including roadside trash pickups this summer. The district provides $40,871 in matching funds.
According to Holly Carine, program manager for the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste District, a portion of the grant will assist three crews in picking up unsightly trash on highway right-of-ways during July and August. Twelve to 15 high school juniors and seniors, working through the local office of the Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services, will clean trash from ditches and berms, separate out the recyclables, and dispose of what remains.
County engineer offices in each county will supply supervisors and trucks to support the pick-up crews. Additional grant money will cover fuel and disposal cost, and buy safety vests, gloves and litter "grabbers" for the workers.
Carine said motorists should expect to see the crews working for about six weeks this summer in Geauga County and for about nine weeks in Trumbull County.
We'll see a big difference in county roads - especially in rural areas, Carine said. Our county engineers know where the problem spots are. They will zero in on those spots, then post signs to discourage further littering.
County highways aren't the only littered areas targeted with the district's Recycle, Ohio! grant. Carine also coordinates voluntary trash pickups throughout the district during April's Great American Cleanup. She expects 10,000 volunteers in at least 10 local communities to help pick up trash this year in public parks, along roadways and alleys - or wherever litter is a problem.
Grant money pays for the campaign's newspaper advertisements, registration and promotional materials, as well as safety vests and gloves for neighborhood volunteers. Keep America Beautiful supplies the trash bags for the Great American Cleanup.
Remaining Recycle, Ohio! grant money underwrites local recycling drop-off centers for corrugated cardboard and educational programs in schools throughout Trumbull and Geauga counties.
Officials in the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste District are always looking for new ways to keep their program in the limelight, said Sue Grant, a district coordinator for ODNR's litter prevention program. They stress volunteer activities and school participation.
Funding for Recycle, Ohio! grants comes from excise taxes paid by state corporations and by other businesses whose products contribute to the litter stream, such as paper mills, aluminum can and glass bottle manufacturers, and the makers of plastic containers and bags.