The Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week was a success with approximately 350 volunteers filling almost 200 bags with trash and recyclable items found along streets, roadsides and around homes, businesses, churches and schools.
“We’re so grateful to the many dedicated volunteers who gave freely of their time during the week to make a difference in the appearance of our community,” said Terri Hedrick, chairperson of the Vance County Appearance Commission. “The help we received through volunteer efforts covered a wide range of people including students in local schools, church youth groups, civic and community organizations, community watch groups, members of county volunteer fire departments, groups who participate in the state Adopt-A-Highway Program, families and individuals. It was a great effort by everyone. This type of event shows that when our community comes together we can do really good, positive things.”
The Spring Litter Sweep Week, part of the N.C. Spring Litter Sweep covering the last two weeks of April, was sponsored jointly by the Vance County Appearance Commission and the Henderson Community Appearance Commission.
“The city’s appearance commission members have been wonderful to work with on this event,” Hedrick added. “They have led the efforts for most of the past year to renovate Rock Bridge Cemetery. They were out there again on Saturday morning donating their time to continue to clean up the cemetery. More work needs to be done there, but their leadership on that project has been extraordinary. They deserve a lot of credit for their commitment.”
Others who need to be thanked include the N.C. Department of Transportation (N.C. DOT) personnel and the City of Henderson Maintenance Department workers who have collected the full large, orange trash bags left on street curbs and roadsides by volunteers, Hedrick said. Chris Fowler with the Vance County Planning & Development Department, has been a key resource in getting needed supplies from N.C. DOT for volunteers to do their work and then letting the DOT know what roads had full, orange trash bags left on them. Solon Smith, chairman of the Henderson Community Appearance Commission, deserves a big thank you for scheduling use of the City Operations Center for activities throughout the week and working with city officials to ensure trash bags and other items left on street curbs would be picked up in a timely manner, she said.
Hedrick said she also wanted to thank Jason Brown and members of his Wisdom for Life Foundation for their support of the Litter Sweep, with recognition also to the “Fruit of the Spirit” volunteers who prepared the free lunch for Litter Sweep volunteers on Saturday. The foundation’s volunteers include Brown’s family members and friends and especially his parents, Lunsford and Deborah Brown.
“They all deserve such a heartfelt thank you, because of their very giving efforts,” Hedrick added. “Jason and his family and friends have supported our Litter Sweep for all five years we’ve had it. Our success wouldn’t be possible without their help.”
At the volunteer lunch Saturday, Brown awarded cash prizes to three different volunteer groups. The prizes included: $150 to Project Lift, led by William Hawkins, for filling the most bags of trash and recyclables during the Litter Sweep; $100 to the Kittrell Job Corps Center, led by Joan Robinson, for having the largest number of volunteers; and $50 to the Youth on A Mission group from Mt. Zion Church of Christ for finding the most unique items of a cable cord and power drill that still worked.
“I especially want to thank our volunteers with the Vance County Appearance Commission, because they have worked hard to promote our Spring Litter Sweep and have been there to help in anyway needed,” Hedrick said. “We’re very lucky to have all of these caring people in our community.”
Clean-up efforts throughout the community are ongoing. Inmate work crews are continuing to clean trash and debris from county roadsides. Recently the crews have cleaned roadsides along Thomas Road, Raleigh Road, Glebe Road, Kelly Road, N.C. 39 North and South, U.S. 158 Business and Bypass and Lynnbank Road. More local roads are targeted for cleanup. Contracted work crews also are now mowing along roadsides throughout the county.
City and county residents are urged to continue to be considerate of the appearance of Henderson and Vance County by disposing of all trash and recyclable items properly. They can also continue to help to improve the community’s appearance by keeping the areas clean and free of trash around their homes, businesses, churches, schools, community buildings and more, Hedrick added.
Local residents should know that most unwanted household items, including appliances, furniture and bed mattresses, can be taken to any of the eight manned trash collection sites located throughout the county free of charge for proper disposal. The manned trash collection site on Brodie Road, which runs between Oxford Road and Old County Home Road, takes free of charge old electronics for proper recycling. Electronics accepted for recycling at the site can include computers and their accompanying equipment, computer printers, vacuum cleaners, televisions, radios, mixers, blenders, toasters, microwave ovens and telephones. Other recyclable items should be taken to the county’s manned trash collection sites or placed in bins provided by the City of Henderson. Recyclable items include all plastic bottles and containers, all glass bottles and containers (any color), aluminum cans, newspaper, magazines and cardboard. All of these items are taken free of charge at any of the manned trash collection sites and the Vance County Transfer Station on N.C. 39 north of Henderson. Old tires also can be disposed of properly at the Transfer Station. Any loads of tires or other unwanted items contained in the back of a truck or on a trailer must be securely covered by a tarp or other similar covering to be transported to the Transfer Station.
The participation of county and city residents in recycling efforts must be improved substantially, Hedrick said. More recycling will save the city and county money in having to dispose of large volumes of trash and recycling is good for the environment in allowing the reuse of items instead of adding them to the waste stream and to already limited landfill space, she added.