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Corky Daniel, left, and Gina Gillman do their part in a previous Woman’s Club event as part of the Great American Cleanup. This year’s events will take place throughout the month.
Putnam County residents are invited to participate in litter pickup events throughout the area as part of the annual Great American Cleanup, which occurs every spring.
Keep Putnam Beautiful supports cleanups all throughout April and has set aside rain dates in May to keep Putnam County a clean, green and beautiful space to live, work and play.
On Saturday, Crescent City is sponsoring a cleanup starting 9 a.m. at the intersection of Central Avenue and Summit Street.
Welaka is also cleaning up Saturday, where coffee and pastries will be provided at 8 a.m. at the town pavilion before volunteer crews roll out at 9 a.m.
Pomona Park’s cleanup will be 9 a.m. April 23, while Florahome will have a cleanup 9 a.m. April 30.
Peniel Baptist Academy and Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences have students organizing cleanups focused on the St. Johns River later this month, and other groups and businesses are hosting events as well.
When people are finished cleaning, they must call Keep Putnam Beautiful Executive Director Nicole Grace at 904-309-3069 to notify her of how much waste – including the number of bags, weight or specific items – was collected.
People are also encouraged to call Grace if they need supplies, including gloves, litter pickers, trash bags and other items.
During the 2021 Great American Cleanup, there were 14.6 million pounds of litter collected nationwide. Local organizers are hoping to nearly double this year’s haul as they aim for 30 million pounds collected, according to a Keep Putnam Beautiful statement.