BECKLEY, WV (WVNS)– When people think of West Virginia, they think of the beautiful scenery the Mountain State has to offer.
President of the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Michelle Rotellini, said visitors may also notice some unpleasant items.
“We litter it up. I don’t understand, but people throw trash out, they throw cigarette butts out,” Rotellini said. “They go to fast food restaurants and just throw the bag on the roadside.”
The Chamber of Commerce has a committee called the Raleigh County Make It Shine Committee. They have many trash sweeps to pick up garbage on the side of the road, and during the month of April they have several events to celebrate Earth Day. All you have to do is show up.
“We do have the litter grabbers. So, you don’t actually have to touch any of the trash. I know sometimes there might be something that takes two hands, so definitely bring some gloves. We will provide a vest, a bag, a grabber and a waiver,” Rotellini said.
Rotellini said they usually work about two to three hours cleaning up. These little clean ups are a part of a bigger project called the Gateways Project.
“Encouraging our businesses to improve their curb appeal,” Rotellini said. “Sometimes some of the businesses were built back in the 40’s and 50s, and they’ve had some deferred maintenance. Even one building that doesn’t have good curb appeal can bring down the other businesses around it.”
If you want to help out, here is the schedule for clean up dates:
- Saturday, April 10 : 11am – 1pm Cool Ridge WV Area Litter Sweep. Volunteers meet at Dollar General at Mt View Rd and Rt 19 intersection in Cool Ridge
- Saturday, April 17 : 10am Piney Creek Watershed : East Beckley Bypass. Litter Sweep from YMCA Soccer Complex entrance to Cranberry Creek Bridge. Volunteers meet at YMCA Soccer Complex entrance area
- Monday April 19th : 2pm Harper Road Beckley Litter Sweep. Volunteers will meet at Kroger on Harper Road from 2:00 – 5:00pm. Volunteers will work from the Shell station at Pikeview Dr. to Warrenizing Cleaners on Neville Street.
- Earth Day April 22 : Noon – 2pm Downtown Beckley Cigarette Butt Sweep. Meet at Shoemaker Square to get supplies needed
To register to volunteer for a sweep, contact BRCCC at 304-252-7328.