More than 1,600 participate in local Great American Cleanup efforts

Staff Report

More than 1,600 volunteers worked diligently for three hours Saturday, April 30, picking up litter and debris as part of local Great American Cleanup efforts.

Lori Gummow, executive director of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB), one of the coordinators for the event, said: “We finally had better weather for this event. Even though it was a bit windy, it did not rain, and our volunteers spent the morning cleaning up area roads and neighborhoods.

Volunteers Melissa Schraiber and Matthew Dykstra clean up an area near the Rock River April 30.

“Last year’s volunteer totals set a record, and this year, we exceeded that number by 300,” Gummow added. “Since we began this event over 20 years ago, everyone involved is pleased to see how the numbers have grown. People are taking pride in our community, and helping to make it clean and beautiful for everyone.”

The trash bags will be picked up during regular waste collection routes on the normal days.

“It takes some time to receive the final totals; however, we estimate that over 50 tons of litter and debris was collected,” Gummow said. “That is 11 tons more than what was collected in 2010.

“We would like to thank all our volunteers for their help,” Gummow added. “Without them, this project could not happen. We would also like to thank Patriots’ Gateway for serving as our main supply check-in site, as well as the location for the volunteer lunch held after the cleanup.”

The Great American Cleanup is coordinated locally by KNIB, the City of Rockford and Winnebago County.

Visit knib.org or call (815) 637-1343.

From the May 18-24, 2011 issue