On Saturday, April 11, Keep Irving Beautiful held the “Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off” at Trinity View Park, their contribution to the state’s signature event for the “Great American Cleanup.”  A total of 261 volunteers – 160 adults and 101 youth – gave a combined 783 hours of service as they removed litter from creek beds, tree lines and wooded areas of the park, performing the very important task of keeping trash out of the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River.  When the cleaning was done, the group had collected over 2220 pounds of litter and 1020 pounds of recyclables. Several City of Irving departments were instrumental in the success of this event, including Parks for ground support and logistic guidance, Solid Waste Services for providing the roll-off container and weighing the materials, and Code Enforcement for providing the equipment to transport all the materials collected to a central location at the park.  A team of volunteers from Code Enforcement and Housing and Human Services prepared and served a hot dog lunch, which featured chips donated by Frito-Lay’s Irving facility, a long-time sponsor of KIB activities.  Other sponsors of the event included VHA, Inc., PlayTri, Kroger, Rambler Newspapers, Irving Family YMCA, North Lake College, Arnold Brothers Wood Products, Dr. Elba Garcia, Texas Trees Foundation and Fast Signs Las Colinas. 

     “This may look like just a day in the park here in Irving, but it is part of a much bigger picture,” said KIB Board President Scott Wilson. “Affiliates all over Texas are conducting their own Trash-Offs today, and throughout the spring, communities across the United States will be holding a variety of Great American Cleanup events.  Our partnerships with Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation as well as nationally with Keep America Beautiful really connect our volunteers with others who have the same passion for improving their environment.”

      Keep America Beautiful’s “Great American Cleanup,” the nation’s largest annual community improvement program, runs from March 1 through May 31 and harnesses the power of volunteers to build vibrant communities.  In 2014, more than 4 million volunteers in over 20,000 communities gave 7.9 million hours of service in Great American Cleanup activities like cleanups, tree plantings and other beautification initiatives, with an estimated $179 million in measurable benefits to the communities involved. 

     Keep Irving Beautiful is a non-profit, grassroots, leadership organization dedicated to educating our community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification in order to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of our city.  To find out how you can volunteer, go to www.keepirvingbeautiful.org or call the KIB office at 972-721-2175.