Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful To Double Down On Cleanup Effort

It's not too late to join in on the Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful Great American Cleanup. The six county event kicked off on April 23rd and will run until June 20th. Teams are encouraged to register their cleanup ahead of time atwww.ohswa.org.

"We have had an amazing turnout across the regions this year," said Samantha Brown, Recycling Coordinator for the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority (Authority). "Collectively, volunteer sign ups has increased almost 800% from 2021. Over 1,500 volunteers have picked up over 1,800 bags of litter and collected over 200 bags of recyclables in the Mohawk Valley so far,” she added.

By registering your event on thewww.ohswa.org website, you are eligible to receive free materials including gloves, trash bags, and other assistance. In addition to free materials and resources, registrants will be highlighted for their efforts on the Authority website and KMVB social media platforms.

Volunteers who have registered can pick up supplies at the following locations during regular business hours:

Mohawk Valley Economic Development District: 26 West Main Street, Mohawk, NY 13407

Moore Insurance Group: 1002 Black River Blvd, Rome NY 13440

Utica City Hall (by appointment only): 1 Kennedy Plaza, Utica, NY 13502

Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority: 1600 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13502

KMVB is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB). KAB works to create sustainable communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound, and their annual clean-up effort is part the country’s largest community improvement program.

Each Spring, KAB affiliates, like KMVB, engage more than 4 million volunteers in more than 20,000 communities nationwide. This year, KMVB is asking individuals, businesses, organizations, and community groups to register cleanup or beautification events – new or existing – in the Mohawk Valley region.

Registered events receive support from KMVB, and results are included in the national report published annually by KAB. “We want to recognize the efforts of all the volunteers who have gone out and done something to improve the environmental health of our region, so please register your event with us,” says Steve Smith, Executive Director of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District. “Whether you have a one-person team or a two hundred-person team – we want to include your cleanup,” he continued.

Examples of how you or your group can join the effort include: cleaning up litter along roadways, waterways, parks and recreation areas, starting a community garden or participating in a recycling project.