Be Clean, Be Green: Community Engagement

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Southern Illinois Solutions to Southern Illinois Problems

Litter is an issue in many place in the country and the world. Litter is trash that is not properly thrown away. It ends up on the sides of roads and in waterways. 

In southern Illinois, many people have stepped up to the plate to help clean up and prevent littering.

Friends of the Shawnee National Forest in an example of an organization that helps clean up litter. The partner with the U.S. Forest Service to host Trash Blasts in natural areas such as Garden of the Gods, Burden Falls, Bell Smith Springs and more. They can almost an entire dumpster worth of trash from trails sometimes.

Another organization that works hard to keep southern Illinois clean is Keep Carbondale Beautiful. Located in Carbondale, this organization recruits volunteers to clean up trash alongside roadways. Keep Carbondale Beautiful is a chapter of a much larger organization called Keep America Beautiful. 

While these organizations are wonderful, even a single individual can make a big difference. Look not further than Do Your Part Recycling in Benton, Illinois to see an example of this. In 2018, Benton ended their city recycling program because it was becoming too expensive for the city. Andy Lamont, a local Benton citizen attended city meetings to advocate to keep the recycling program. When it became clear that the city program would be ending, Andy took it upon himself to start collecting recycling from friends and family. He would drive it to Carbondale's recycling center. 

Over time, more and more people asked Andy to help them with their recycling. Using a warehouse and a cardboard bailer from his family's grocery store, Andy started Do Your Part Recycling. He estimates that he is responsible for about 10% of Franklin County's recycling now.