OCRRA is asking volunteers to pick a safe, public area and register by April 14 for its Earth Day Cleanup, set for April 24 and April 25 in Onondaga County.
Tammy Palmer said the effort helps people “put in a dent in what happened over the winter” and “start spring more fresh.” OCRRA will provide special stickers for bags and drop-off instructions after the event.
Last year’s cleanup drew more than 300 groups and more than 4,000 people, who gathered more than 120,000 pounds of litter, Palmer said. Since the program began in 1991, more than 3 million pounds of litter has been gathered and removed from Onondaga County.
That scale is what makes the annual drive more than a spring cleanup. OCRRA describes it as an Earth Day preparation effort in central New York, and Palmer said the work matters because after the initial sweep, “the rest of the season, it’s about maintenance.” For readers tracking the holiday itself, When Is Earth Day? April 22 Marks 56th Anniversary explains the date that anchors the effort.
Palmer said the numbers should give volunteers a reason to feel good about showing up again this year. “That’s a lot. That’s an accomplishment that people should be really feeling good about,” she said.
