4-02-2024 4:50am

JOHNNY O. CALLS

County Executive Olszewski announces BaltCo Litter Blitz 2024

Springtime campaign encourages community action to keep neighborhoods and waterways clean

TOWSON, MD - Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski is calling on County residents and organizations to help reduce the litter that degrades our communities and threatens our waterways. BaltCo Litter Blitz — a grassroots outreach effort that runs from April through May — invites groups of any size in Baltimore County to “team up to tackle litter” by hosting community cleanups and map results on the interactive Litter Blitz hub website.

“A clean Baltimore County is a healthy and thriving Baltimore County, and Earth Month is a great reminder to everyone that we can make a difference in our neighborhoods and waterways,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “We all have a responsibility to take care of and be good stewards of the environment, and working together to keep our communities litter free is a win for everyone.”

The Litter Blitz hub website provides details of the initiative, including a registration form, pickup locations for free supplies, an interactive map of cleanups and a tabulation of real-time results. Participating groups will register their events and indicate if they are seeking volunteers, and people who wish to volunteer can find contact information to reach out to them directly.

Long-Term Anti-Litter Programs

In addition to the two-month Litter Blitz promotion, there are various ways residents can participate in the County’s year-round anti-litter efforts.

Through the County’s Adopt-a-Road program, registered groups of volunteers pick up litter along a designated section of County roadway at least four times per year. Eligible adopters include civic and nonprofit organizations, school groups, commercial and private enterprises, families and individuals.

County Code Enforcement inspectors conduct commercial dumpster sweeps and educational outreach in various locations around the County to emphasize compliance with regulations designed to prevent overflow and spillage of trash. People may report concerns about litter in commercial areas by filing a code complaint on the Baltimore County website, via the BaltCoGo app, or by calling 311.

The County’s Litter-Smart Business program offers real-world tactics and resources for effective waste management, as well as encouraging litter removal and prevention. Commercial establishments may register on the interactive Litter Smart Business dashboard.

Through the Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge, groups and individuals can help their favorite Baltimore County public school win an environmental project grant by conducting 15-minute litter cleanups anywhere in Baltimore County.

Cleanups reports can be submitted on the Clean Green 15 hub website. Winning schools earn environmental grants to fund school-based projects like outdoor classrooms, butterfly or rain gardens and nature educational opportunities for students. This program is a joint initiative of the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability and Baltimore County Public Schools.