City of Arlington Encourages Residents to Pitch In and Pick Up Litter During North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge
By Office of Communication
Posted on September 08, 2021, September 08, 2021

Grab your gloves and litter pickers - the North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge (NTCCC) is under way and the City of Arlington could use your help! This region-wide litter cleanup challenge between cities and counties is taking place through Oct. 31, 2021. As part of the NTCCC, communities compete to see who can cumulatively cleanup the most litter during those months to take home a trophy and bragging rights.

“Here in Arlington, The American Dream City, we are second to none. Help us be the community with the most litter picked up in north Texas,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said.

Participating is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Join an existing litter cleanup event, organize a cleanup of your own with friends or family, or pick-up litter each time you walk around your Arlington neighborhood or park. All of these activities count towards the goal!

2. Log your litter loot each time you pick up litter during the months of September and October.

3. Share your efforts and pictures on social media using #NTXCleanupChallenge.
To learn more about the NTCCC, please visit http://www.communitycleanupchallenge.com/.

For more information on organized cleanup events within the Arlington area, please contact Dan Withers in the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department at [email protected] or 817-459-5486.

Ways to help prevent litter:

• Keep the lid closed on your trash can or cart. A lot of litter accidently winds up in the environment when it blows out of opened trash cans or carts. If you leave your cans or carts outside, make sure to secure the lids so that critters can’t get in.

• Always put trash and recycling in their respective bin. As obvious as it sounds, do not throw trash on the ground or out your vehicle window. This is littering, which is illegal, and could result in a fine.

• Report illegal dumping. If you spot someone dumping illegally, be sure to report it here: http://www.reportdfwdumping.org/.

• Reduce your use of single-use items. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By reducing your use of single-use items such as plastic straws, plastic utensils, and plastic bags you can make sure they never have the potential to become litter in the first place.

• Don’t intentionally release balloons. While the release of balloons may seem symbolic and a great way to celebrate something or someone special, they eventually must come down and will wind up as litter where wildlife may encounter them. Check out this website, https://balloonsblow.org/, to learn more about their impact and for ideas on alternative ways to celebrate without balloons.

The North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge is a program of the Stormwater Public Education Task Force (PETF) a subcommittee of the Regional Stormwater Management Coordinating Council. The Regional Stormwater Management Coordinating Council mission is to implement cooperative programs and projects to manage stormwater quality in the North Central Texas region. The Council is a committee of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). Find out more at https://www.nctcog.org/envir/committees/water-resources-council.

North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge
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