On Saturday, April 6, Bibb County residents rallied together to participate in the 2024 “Don’t Drop It On Alabama” Statewide Spring Cleanup initiative. Organized by ALPALS (Alabama People Against a Littered State), it was facilitated in our county by Michelle Giddens, Bibb County Extension Coordinator, who worked diligently to ensure that the word was spread, necessary supplies were provided to volunteers, team leaders were assigned to designated areas, and prize money was secured.
Participants were given grabbers, vests, and bags provided by ALPALS, making it easier to collect trash along Bibb County’s roads. The Bibb County Commission, along with the Mayors and City Councils of Woodstock and Brent, contributed to the incentive by offering prize money for the top three organizations that collected the most trash. The rewards were substantial, with the first-place winner receiving $1600, the second-place winner earning $1000, and the third-place winner securing $650.
The results of the Bibb County Litter Pick-Up were outstanding, showcasing the dedication and hard work of the community. The Vapor Magic Ball Team from West Blocton claimed the top spot, followed by the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department in second place, and the Ridgeville Church of the Nazarene Children’s Ministry in third. Together, all of the organizations and volunteers who participated managed to cover 32 miles of roadway and collected an impressive 1,193 bags of trash. With 547 miles of county roads in Bibb, the effort translated to an average of 3.72 bags of trash per mile.
The success of the event can be attributed to the commitment of the 113 volunteers who generously gave their time (30 hours’ worth total among the groups who volunteered) and effort to make Bibb County a cleaner and more beautiful place to live. Team leaders from various communities within the county played pivotal roles in organizing and mobilizing volunteers, showing the power of community-driven initiatives when people stand up, step up, and commit to the cause. Team leaders included Rachel VanKirk Mathews, Woodstock; Brian Logan, Scottsville; Holly Barnett, West Blocton; James Murphy, Brent; Jessica Taylor, Centreville; Megan Johnson, Brierfield; and Pam Smitherman, Pondville.
What made this event truly incredible was the diverse group of volunteers who participated, ranging from individuals battling cancer to senior citizens with physical ailments to ball teams. Servants’ hearts were exemplified in the spirit of community service and unity, all aimed towards the common goal of making Bibb County a better place. Ranging from ages 5 to 86, people showed up to lend a hand to help their neighbor – and that’s certainly a beautiful, inspiring thing.
The litter pick-up day also shed light on the broader issue of ongoing littering and the challenges faced in maintaining a clean environment. With statistics revealing the staggering amount of litter collected and the estimated cost to clean up the entire county, it’s evident that more proactive measures are needed. According to estimated calculations, for the volunteer work done on Saturday, it would have cost the county $82,749.90 for 32 miles of roads to be cleaned if each individual had been paid an average rate. From that figure, the cost can be calculated that to clean the remaining 515 miles of county roads in Bibb County, it would require an estimated 19,158 more bags of trash to picked up, which would equal a labor rate of $1,414,490.72 total to clean up the whole county.
All of these estimated figures must be taken into consideration under the reality that while litter pick up initiatives are worthwhile and important, litter is still being thrown out continuously, each and every day. From alcohol bottles/cans and food containers to tires and mattresses, there seemed to be no limit to what people have thrown out to trash our county.
Moving forward, solutions could be considered such as the county requiring trash pickup be tied to water bills, which could provide a more sustainable solution to tackling litter accumulation as most of the litter picked up off the roads were household trash items. Not only would this limit the trash being dumped, it would also entice more trash pickup companies to make bids to work for Bibb County, potentially lowering monthly costs for residents in light of more competition between companies being created.
The success of the litter pick-up day has sparked interest in organizing more such events in the future, indicating a growing awareness and commitment to keeping Bibb County beautiful.
The Bibb County community-wide litter pick-up day was a huge success, thanks to the dedication and hard work of volunteers, team leaders, and organizer Michelle Giddens, without whom none of this would have been possible. It not only made a tangible impact on the cleanliness of the county but also fostered a sense of pride and unity among residents who stepped up and came together to make a difference in their home county.
As more litter pick-up days are planned for the future, be sure to stay tuned for when they will be announced. Let’s not lose our momentum, folks, but let’s continue to encourage others to do what they can to keep our community clean as well as encouraging others to do the same.
