MEDIA RELEASE

On Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hawaii Island residents and visitors eager to make a positive contribution to the community can participate in the nation’s largest annual anti-litter initiative by volunteering to collect litter along Hilo Bay.

This event, known as The Great American Cleanup, is sponsored by Keep America Beautiful and organized locally by Recycle Hawaii, Keep Hawaii Beautiful and the county Department of Environmental Management.

Last year, GAC volunteers logged in more than 5.2 million hours cleaning, beautifying and improving more than 33,700 communities during more than 16,500 events in all 50 states and beyond.

Activities included sprucing up parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, collecting recyclables, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events.

Recycle Hawaii will pitch a pop-up tent near the parking lot closest to Suisan on the Puna boundary of Hilo Bayfront. The hunt for trash will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m., or earlier if the job is done.

Volunteers across the U.S. will have the chance to set aside items suitable for a mosaic commissioned by The Glad Products Company that will later be auctioned on eBay as a means to raise money for Keep America Beautiful.

Paul J. Buklarewicz, executive director of Recycle Hawaii and president of Keep Hawaii Beautiful, said “this year’s GAC focus should be Hilo’s waterfront after a rash of complaints about trash accumulated along the Hilo bay front area cropped up in recent citizens’ letters to local newspapers.”

Recycle Hawaii is recognized as a statewide recycling organization within the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) coalition, and this event is one of many collaborations between the two groups. Keep Hawaii Beautiful is the local KAB affiliate.

Rounding out the home team sponsorship is the county Department of Environmental Management, which will provide trash removal services for the bags that are collected over the four-hour cleanup.

“The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is very pleased to partner with Recycle Hawaii and Keep Hawaii Beautiful in this effort to keep our beautiful island free of litter,” said Hunter Bishop, DEM deputy director. “This event on the 25th is another fitting reminder that everyone needs to contribute just a little to make a big difference on our island.”

Recycle Hawaii is a 501(c) 3 educational organization incorporated in 1992 and active as a grassroots effort since 1989. This year the organization celebrates 20 years of service with the mission to promote resource management and recycling in Hawaii. Recycle Hawaii works closely with Keep Hawaii Beautiful, in promoting and coordinating recycling and community beautification efforts.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliates and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments.

— Find out more:
www.kab.org
www.bikhb.org