HUNDREDS HELP CLEAN UP CITY
Volunteers from more than 40 groups participate in Kingston Clean Sweep
Armed with brooms, rakes, plastic garbage bags and paper ones, a volunteer battalion scoured the city Saturday in search of one thing: litter.
About 400 people – many clad in bright yellow T-shirts, green or blue ones, and some wearing safety vests – scooped up all manner of litter and trash awash on the city’s landscape during the “Ninth Annual Kingston Clean Sweep.”
Volunteers from more than 40 groups made their way through various streets in Uptown, Midtown, and the Rondout putting litter in bags to be picked up latter by the city’s Department of Public Works crews.
It is the sixth year in a row that Kingston retired physician Peter Roberts and his wife, Linda, have participated in Kingston Clean Sweep.
“I think it’s a good community effort,” said Peter Roberts.
“I like to clean and when I see trash, I am inclined to pick it up,” his wife piped in.
The two were outside the headquarters of Friends of Historic Kingston, the event’s sponsor, to pick up yellow T-shirts emblazoned with “in memory
“A better looking Kingston makes Kingston a better place to visit.” — Elenie Loizou, owner of Dietz Stadium Diner and president of the Junior League of Kingston and the Kingston Uptown Business Association
of Patricia O’Reilly Murphy.” She was the founder of Kingston Clean Sweep nine years ago.
Julie Jordan, who is the event’s co-chairwoman, said she hoped that people witnessing such an effort would think twice before tossing litter onto city streets or in parks.
“I think when you seek people picking up trash it inspires you and it inspires others,” Jordan said.
During the winter, Jordan
said, litter tends to pile up and Saturday was a time to do some “spring cleaning.”
Jordan pointed out that a similar event was held in the 1950s. Back then, it was dubbed “Start Cleanliness Campaign.”
Elenie Loizou, owner of Dietz Stadium Diner, agreed that the event sends a “do not litter in Kingston” message. The event ran from 9 a.m. to noon under sunny skies.
“That is the main goal,” said Loizou, who is also president of the Junior League of Kingston and the Kingston Uptown Business Association. “A better looking Kingston
makes Kingston a better place to visit.”
Youngsters such as Jenna Coddington, a 14-year-old Kingston High School student, pitched in as well.
“I just like to keep Kingston clean,” Jenna said.
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble also swept up. He worked the shores of Kingston Point Beach and around City Hall.
“When Pat Murphy and I started working on this event together, we had no idea we would have an event that has grown into such a part of our community,” said Noble, who was the city’s environmental educator at the
time of the Kingston Clean Sweep start-up.
“Literally hundreds of volunteers have been working all morning to help beautify our city,” Noble added in an email. “It’s truly a community effort!”
The tally of just how much trash was picked up was not available on Saturday.
However, in the past, Kingston Clean Sweep has rustled up plenty of it.
Last year, about 275 volunteers, ranging in age from student to senior citizen, picked up almost 5,000 pounds of trash and 13.5 cubic yards of litter, yard waste and metal materials.