Spring Cleaning
Sunday's Earth Day can be a great reminder of the importance of taking care of the environment.
Many organizations are providing spring cleanup services throughout the county to help facilitate a cleaner, greener world.
Some are providing these events as part of the Great American Cleanup of PA, which is from March 1 to May 31.
Events registered with the cleanup can receive free cleanup supplies such as bags, gloves and vests donated by PennDOT and Keep America Beautiful.
Those interested in registering an event with The Great American Cleanup of PA can visit www.gacofpa.org.
The following events are open to the public to help clean up Butler County this spring.
Center Township's cleanup day is from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday with a rain date of April 28. People in the township will be able to take nonhazardous items to two locations.“The metals are taken to a scrap yard and the cash goes into the general fund, and the garbage is sent to Waste Management in West Sunbury,” said Mark Lauer, Center Township public works director.Drop-off locations are the Center Township Maintenance Building, 1161 Sunset Drive, and the Center Township Property, 150 Henricks Road.Those unable to take items to drop-off locations due to special needs or disabilities should call the office before Friday to arrange curb pickup.For more information, contact Lauer at 724-282-7805.Cranberry Township and ZelienopleAn electronics recycling day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cranberry Township Public Works Operations Facility, 20729 Route 19, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Zelienople Parking Lot at Main and Spring streets.Computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, DVDs, VCRs, cameras, power tools, turntables, small appliances, game stations, window air conditioners, video recorders, speakers, radios, electronic toys, compact fluorescent light bulbs and all types of batteries, except car batteries, will be collected and given to Hi-Tech Recyclers of Pittsburgh.Televisions of any size and type will be collected for a $10 fee per TV.Lorin Meeder, environmental programs coordinator for Cranberry Township, has been planning the electronics recycling day for at least five years.“I think people have gotten the message to try to recycle things,” Meeder said. “It's become a habit in Cranberry Township any how. Maybe not in other places, but it's good for the environment and it saves our landfill space.”For more information, call 724-776-4806.
North Trails Library and Friends of the Library will host a scrap metal drive from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 1553 West Sunbury Road.“Pretty much our slogan is ‘If it's metal, We want it,'” said Kathy Kline, library director.The drive is sponsored by Greco's Materials Recycling, which will remove items brought to the library to be recycled.Kline said all metal will be collected except tires and paint cans. Greco will remove any freon.“This is an ideal way for the community to come together, and they not only help to preserve and save the Earth, but also work as a community and support the library,” Kline said.All proceeds from the drive will benefit the library.For more information, call 724-476-1006.
The Bear Creek Watershed Association will clean up Route 38, Bruin Road in North Washington, from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.The association has been cleaning this section of road every year since about 2003.The well-traveled road is usually filled with litter; however, watershed specialist Ryan Harr said as the annual cleanup continues, less and less litter is collected.“The more we clean up, people are taking ownership,” said Harr. “There was always Mountain Dew bottles, but maybe that person moved, because it keeps going down.”For more information, contact Harr at 724-284-5270.
Winfield Township will have a roadside cleanup day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.The township is providing free trash bags, gloves and vests and asking those in the community to pick a road to clean.“They go around and pick up the trash and leave the bags and report which roads they do so our roads crews can pick up the trash and bring it back,” said secretary Vikki Schmeider.The township building is open from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays, except Wednesday, and is located at 194 Brose Road, Cabot.For more information, call 724-352-3333 during business hours.
A free Earth Day celebration with activities for all ages will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 28 at EDCO Park, 154 W. Main St.“Mobilize the Earth” is the theme of the 17th annual BASF Earth Day Celebration.Activities and booths at the event will include exhibits by environmental groups, a bluebird presentation followed by a hands-on birdhouse-building activity for children, a bee cultivator, the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Evans City Lions Club and the Butler County Humane Society.Environmental groups interested in participating in events or companies interested in serving as sponsors can call Rebecca Neely at 724-538-1313.
